Live And Let Die
by DescendingAngel
Summary: After 5,focus on Snape's pov; also with Lupin, McGonagall. Harry returns to Hogwarts sooner than expected,new year begins,he gets into trouble,Snape and Lupin are sent on a rescue mission. I swear the story's better than the summary ;) (complete)
1. Live And Let Die

AN: It's set at the end of OotP, shortly after Dumbledore spoke to Harry. No own, no money, no sue, as usual.

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Live And Let Die

As he climbed up the stairs leading out of the dungeons, Severus was convinced to know very well why the headmaster had asked him to come up to his office. And he was prepared to defend himself. He had never wanted to give Potter those Occlumency lessons in the first place, he had told him so, but Dumbledore hadn't left him a choice.

No surprise that Black hadn't liked the idea either. Actually he hadn't ever liked any idea that involved Severus anywhere close to him or his godson - probably the only thing they had ever had in common.

'What do you want?' He remembered how Black had greeted him with a well trained scowl when he had gone to see Potter.

'A word with Potter.'

'What could you want with Harry? Not enough giving him a hard time at school so now you're coming after him during his holidays? To take some house points or give him detention or what?'

'Trust it, Black, I have no desire to set foot into your house unless absolutely necessary. Dumbledore sent me to speak to Potter. Alone.'

'So playing the messenger is another one of those secret special missions he sends you on?'

'Speaking about it, are you still making progress with your secret cleaning mission?'

Anger had flashed across Black's face.

Yes, Dumbledore had asked him, so unfortunately he had to do it. Although the headmaster had known he didn't want to teach him, that he had enough memories he couldn't allow anyone else to just accidentally stumble across, whether it were things others mustn't know or things he just didn't want anyone to know. Least of all Potter.

And of course, Potter had immediately proven to be no different from his father. The only thing he really blamed himself for was leaving Potter alone in his office for only a second; he really should have made sure to seal the door behind him after he left, he should have expected him not to have any respect for others' privacy or property. He just hadn't thought of it. That's what he was to blame for. But not for throwing him out of his office, he had had every right to do so. Although he had to admit that throwing a jar after him had been a little below him. He also knew he should have continued to teach him but it would probably have been useless anyway, Potter simply hadn't taken it seriously, he hadn't put any effort in it, no matter how often he had been told how important it was.

Still, everything wouldn't even have mattered if just for once in his life Potter would simply have done as he had been told and would have left things to the people capable of dealing with them instead of trying to play the hero once again. If he had come to him straight away instead of letting himself get caught with his head in Umbridge's fireplace. Or if at least he had not thought him as too much of a retard to understand the warning he had given him in her office.

He stopped walking abruptly, noticing he had almost walked past the entrance to the headmaster's office. He took a deep breath and muttered the password.

Dumbledore sat at his desk, waiting for him, gazing thoughtfully out of the window into a sky coloured crimson red by the setting sun.

Have a seat, please. Dumbledore said, absent-mindedly gesturing at the chair opposite from him.

Severus hesitated for a moment before he did so. The headmaster was still staring outside and after a few seconds of silence, Severus decided to speak up first. I assume you're about to point out the irresponsibility of my behaviour to me?

Dumbledore quickly turned his head as though he had just been pulled out of a dream and looked at him with an expression that proposed he had only now become aware of his presence in the room. He then said.

Severus raised an eyebrow, throwing him a questioning look.

The headmaster smiled sadly and shook his head. I don't blame you.

Well, yes, if Potter...

Dumbledore shook his head once more. I don't blame Harry either.

A barely noticeable complacent smile crept onto Severus's face. Black should have been staying behind, there was no reason...

Dumbledore said. Sirius is as responsible for his fate as you and Harry are.

Hadn't he just said he did _ not_ blame him?

Each of you made a mistake and might possibly have prevented things from happening the way they did, but in the end I am the one bearing the responsibility for it. I made mistakes other people had to pay for now. The headmaster continued, gazing out of the window again into a sky growing constantly darker now.

Severus didn't reply anything, he didn't know what to say or if it was at all suitable to say anything. He and Dumbledore had often not shared the same opinion regarding Potter and everything that had to do with him but he knew the headmaster had always tried to act in the best interests of his little protégé. But really nobody seemed to be safe from making mistakes.

You will have to expect Harry blaming you for his godfather's death though. Dumbledore said. He's desperately looking for someone to be held responsible in order to deal with his own pain and feelings of guilt.

I'm not worried about this to make our relationship worse in any way. Severus replied indifferently. He was used to playing the scapegoat and when it came to what Potter thought of him, he couldn't care less. Sure, knowing he was a member of the Order, Potter had probably expected him to immediately draw his wand in Umbridge's office, throw some curses at her and run straight into the Ministry to save Black. He obviously still didn't understand that there were things at stake here worth a lot more than one man's life, no matter whose it might be.

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. Do you think the fact that those Death Eaters have been arrested, Malfoy especially, will have any effect on your position?

If at all, it will be a positive one. Severus replied, glad to have returned to a more professional subject. But I doubt they will be gone for long.

Yes, so do I. The headmaster replied with a sigh. I think that would be all then. He added with a friendly smile.

Severus nodded, stood up and left the office again; he had definitely expected this to take longer and to go worse. He was relieved Dumbledore didn't expect him to show sorrow for Black. He had never - well, not recently at least - exactly wanted him dead but now that he was gone it didn't stir any emotions in him either aside from regretting the unnecessary loss of one man for the Order. Then again, he had never been of much use anyway. 'You will put that to the vote, won't you?' He remembered Black asking that, scowling at him, when Dumbledore had taken him along to the Order's meeting and told the others that he was going to be a part of it from now on. The headmaster had smiled at this, not seeming to take Black's idea seriously. Severus had. And he had known very well who would have voted against him.

Black hadn't been very delighted about once in his life not being allowed to have his say and ever since then he had not let pass one opportunity to tell him that he had more trust in his ruddy house elf than in him. Well, if only he knew now.

It had been mainly Black's presence that had made him not want to spend one more minute than absolutely necessary at Grimmauld Place. Not only, but mainly. And that had brought him to realising something that made him pretty angry with himself: while he had no doubt become better at defending himself against Black - without a wand - he still hadn't quite grown out of letting his constant taunting get to him. But that was something he would never have to waste a thought on anymore. He had come to the conclusion that Black probably deserved a certain amount of respect for giving his life in battle for their side, but other than that, he really couldn't think of any other member of the Order about whose death he would have cared less.

  


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AN: Thank you for reading. I've been waiting the whole day trying to come up with a better title but I couldn't think of one so, better than none at all, I made it the song I was listening to. If you can think of a brilliant title, let me know then I might change it ;)


	2. Business As Usual

Business As Usual

Severus Snape was striding along the corridor, his black cloak billowing behind him, his step a little lighter than usual and wearing an expression - although still neither friendly nor happy - not nearly as grumpy as what his students were used to. Actually none of his students had ever seen him like this for the very simple reason that his mood only reached this immense level of cheerfulness whenever said students were not present.

It had been a very warm and sunny day at the end of the second week of the summer holidays but now as time was drawing closer to midnight it was finally becoming colder in the castle again. He had longed for these holidays probably as much as the students this year, being convinced he had enough to do already without wasting his time trying to teach annoying students who seemed to be completely unwilling to learn anyway. But the students' absence wasn't the only thing improving his mood so immensely: over the last few days he had begun to realise that Sirius Black's death had had a greater influence on him than he had thought at first. It had simply taken him a little to allow everything to settle and to understand that this time he was gone for good, that he would never have to see his face again or hear his voice again. And that had left him with a feeling of relief, just as if a burden he had been carrying with him unknowingly for almost his whole life had finally been taken off his shoulders.

Albus Dumbledore turned around the corner and Severus greeted him with a curt nod that clearly showed he did not intend to stop on his way for a little meaningless chat and walked past him. He had only left him two steps behind when the headmaster called him back.

He stopped walking, glared down at the floor for a moment and then turned around to face him. Just a minute. Dumbledore added.

Of course.

I will have to talk to the Minister tomorrow and I wanted to let you know that I decided on not informing him about the Order or your exact position.

May I ask why? Severus himself had never trusted Fudge but he had actually expected the headmaster to fully cooperate with the Minister now that it had finally dawned on everyone that the Dark Lord had truly returned. Mind you, of course not before they had all seen him in person, standing in the middle of the Ministry's entrance hall.

Regarding you, I don't trust this information to be handled with the confidentiality it deserves - so to them you will remain nothing more than a teacher at this school. Once one of the Dark Lord's followers but now pretty much unconcerned in anything that is happening. The headmaster smiled at him.

_A coward hiding away from his former master, in other words._

And there's no use in anyone else knowing about the Order, I prefer always having a few tricks up my sleeve. Dumbledore added.

Severus nodded. He had never questioned the headmaster's decisions before and now as times got worse he would definitely not start to.

Oh, and there's something else. Dumbledore said, unsuccessfully trying to awake the impression as if there really was something he had nearly forgotten about.

I have to ask you a favour.

Severus immediately felt a headache building up somewhere around his temples.

One of the security barriers set up around the Dursleys' home doesn't seem to work flawlessly anymore... Dumbledore continued.

_No. I know what you're aiming at._

...so I will have to send someone out to fix that. I'm sure you could do that for me?

_Why me? Why on earth me?_

I'm convinced there are dozens of people scrambling for this task. Severus replied.

Yes, there would be indeed, but these people are either busy with something else or might not even be capable of doing this job.

Severus frowned. What sort of _security_ _barrier_ are we talking about here?

A Distorquens Spell.

Severus hesitated for a moment before he replied. Casting that spell is apt to land any wizard in front of a court. He said in a low voice.

I'm aware of that but I'm afraid when fighting the Darkness we mustn't neglect the possibility of making use of the Dark Arts ourselves. Am I right to assume that you're familiar with this spell?

Dumbledore nodded. Very well then. We should receive clearance within the next hour, be prepared. With that said the headmaster turned away again and left him standing alone in the corridor.

  


Severus took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment and decided to rather walk up the stairs to the staff room - one hour seemed barely enough time to even start doing anything else so he could just as well get another cup of coffee to keep himself awake. He couldn't think of anything to do anyway. Aside from sleeping, but that wasn't really a choice anymore now.

When he opened the door he was surprised to find the room not as deserted as he would have expected it to be. McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick were sitting at the end of the long table, discussing over some papers spread out in front of them. They all looked up for a moment when he stepped into the room but quickly went back to what they had been talking about. From what he heard while discovering that there actually was no more coffee left it was another discussion about the school budget - for a moment it had left him surprised to realise that the everyday life in this castle had to continue despite everything that had happened lately. Nonetheless, he didn't really want to be drawn into that discussion so he turned around and strode across the room towards the door again.

McGonagall called him back the moment he reached out for the handle. Do you have a minute?

He turned back around to face her. 

I'm just being polite, I know you're only waiting and have nothing to do. McGonagall cut him off with a victorious smile. So would you sit down for a moment please?

He gave in, slowly walked along the table and took a seat next to Professor Sprout. McGonagall gave him a stern look for the very annoyed expression he was wearing, leaned forward and placed a piece of parchment on the table in front of him.

Potions supplies have been using up an immense part of our budget over the last years. She said, leaning back in her chair. In the next term, due to the additional Defence Against the Dark Arts classes and the new lessons in Wizarding and Muggle Protection Law, there will be even less money available.

_Can you imagine that I happen to have about a thousand things on my mind slightly more important than the school budget? _ Severus asked, sounding as if he really had no idea what she was aiming at.

Can you make any cuts? She asked.

He replied curtly, leaned back and folded his arms in front of his chest.

You haven't even taken a look at it. She said, gesturing at the paper in front of him.

No, I haven't. Snape replied. I don't have to because I know there's no room for any cuts to be made.

McGonagall leaned across the table again and put her hand onto the parchment to point at some lines. What about this? She asked. As far as I know that potion is pretty antiquated and some of the ingredients are really expensive. Why don't you change that for something cheaper as well as more useful?

It _is_ useful. That potion is the best one to teach the students some very important skills they need in order to complete more advanced potions.

Fine, so what about this one? McGonagall asked, turned the paper over and pointed at something else.

You wouldn't dub a potion to cure hypothermia useless, would you? Severus asked and arched an eyebrow.

Today there are spells that can do the same. She said.

I'm well aware of that. Still, this potion is a lot more powerful. He replied and glanced over at the clock in the corner of the room. I'm most sorry I couldn't help you but I really have to leave now. Good luck with your task and rather don't touch the potions budget as long as you don't know what you're doing. He said, rose from his chair and walked towards the door without being called back a second time.

He had only made it along the corridor and around the next corner when he suddenly remembered why he had walked up to the staff room in the first place - aside from the coffee he hadn't found there anyway. He came to a sudden halt and turned around to walk back to where he had come from.

  


Forgot my folder. He muttered as he pushed the door to the staff room open once more. He took a few long steps towards the shelf on the other side of the room, grabbed the folder with the applications for his NEWT lessons for the next term and walked back towards the door that hadn't even fallen closed again yet.

What about the Auratum-potion? McGonagall asked. As far as I know it still doesn't turn iron into gold, does it?

Snape sighed. That's correct. Yet again, it is the basis of several other important potions.

We all have to make some concessions... She said.

Snape cut her off. But I really do need those ingredients, I'm afraid there's nothing to discuss about that anymore. The potions classes have been on a tight budget for years already and it's been getting constantly worse, so if you're trying to save any more money there you'll have to cancel the whole class. Just let me know if you decide on that so I can start looking for a new job. _Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, for example. _With his final statement made he turned away and finally left the room again just to nearly trip over Dobby the house elf, standing right in front of the door.

Headmaster Dumbledore says that Professor Snape sir is to leave in exactly ten minutes, sir! The elf said quickly while staring up at the man that was obviously trying to make him vanish under his glare.

A slightly maniac smile crept onto Snape's face. He hissed, his grip tightening around the folder in his hand. Take this back to the staff room. He muttered, nearly knocked the elf over when handing the folder to him and set off along the corridor.

  


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AN: Hm, well. I thought about maybe making this a longer story. I'm not quite sure yet if that's a good idea; what do you think? A big thank you to those people leaving me a review although I forgot to beg for them in my author's notes ;)


	3. Checkup Visit

Checkup Visit

It had taken him no more than two minutes to change his usual cloak for some shorter but equally black travelling robes and then make his way down into the entrance hall where Dumbledore was already waiting for him.

Don't you think that Muggle clothing might be more appropriate? The headmaster asked after giving him a scrutinizing look.

Severus replied. It's way past midnight, I don't expect to meet anyone.

Very well. This whole action should take place preferably unnoticed, I don't want to alarm Harry in any way or disturb the peace in the family.

Snape nodded and fought the urge to once again ask if there really wasn't someone, _anyone_ else to do this job.

I'll walk you down to the gates. Dumbledore said and they set off across the hall. They walked the whole way in silence and Severus was quite thankful that the headmaster spared him his assembled instructions on how to survive one hour in the Muggle world - he knew that, he had already spend enough of his time in the Muggle world after all.

We will give you at least half an hour from now on to get into the house and replace the spells. Dumbledore said when they came to a halt at the gates of Hogwarts. You will be sent a signal as soon as you're clear to leave again. You know that although the Ministry now finally believes me, they still don't quite trust me; I don't believe they are keeping an eye on you yet so let's try and keep it this way.

  


Severus apparated in a dark narrow side street. He glanced around and stuffed his wand into his sleeve to keep it from view in case there should still be some Muggles wandering around here that late before he set off towards the next street that seemed to be flooded with the neon light of streetlamps. Trying to stay in the shadows he quickly made his way along Privet Drive until he reached the dark front yard of number four. After looking around once more he sneaked up to the window next to the front door to peer into the dark house. _Preferably unnoticed. _He would have tried to even if Dumbledore hadn't told him, simply because a meeting with Potter or one of those Muggles living here seemed not at all desirable to him.

It was as dark and quiet inside of the house as it was out here on the street; everyone seemed to be asleep. No surprise really, after all it was already nearly one o'clock in the morning. He let his wand slip out of his sleeve and into his hand, stepped up in front of the door, took a deep breath and started whispering the litany of spells needed to unlock it. A moment later the lock clicked and the door silently swung open to allow him inside.

After closing the door behind him he cast his first spell at the entrance. Slowly and carefully he walked along the corridor, through the kitchen and into the living room, looking around to find the other spots where he would have to renew the barrier spell. For a moment he let his gaze travel across Petunia Dursley's collection of blue and white china plates and the numerous photographs of Dudley Dursley one of the walls had been plastered with before he crossed the room and cast a spell at the glass door leading into the garden. He turned around again and cast the third one at the kitchen window. Three more now, upstairs; he went back out into the corridor and silently climbed the stairs. Once he had reached the first floor he hesitated for a moment to prepare for the trickier part of his task: casting the other spells without waking those Muggles. Unfortunately Dumbledore hadn't agreed with him when he had suggested that putting a little stunning spell on them would be the most convenient way to handle this situation so now he would have to try a different approach. He walked over to the door through which he could hear someone snoring loudly and from what the headmaster had told him about the house this someone should be Dudley Dursley. Carefully he opened the door a little, peered inside, saw a big boy sleeping peacefully in his bed, made a few steps across the room to the window and cast the spell without waking the kid. The second spell had to be placed in a room that looked like a study that hadn't been used in ages and only existed for the good impression it would make on anyone visiting the house. Now the only room left was Potter's. Severus sighed inaudibly and walked across the corridor to the wooden door. He found Harry sleeping in his bed, the bedside lamp still burning, shot a vicious glare at the teenager and walked across the room to cast his last spell. Just when he had muttered the words he saw movement from the corner of his eyes, whirled around and saw Harry waking up with a jerk. Severus took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for an encounter with Potter.

Harry stared at him for a second and blinked a few times before he half fell, half jumped out of his bed, landed on his knees and began to frantically search his bedside table for his wand, his glasses or at least something big and heavy enough to throw at that man standing in the middle of his room.

Constant vigilance, Potter! Does that sound familiar? Snape sneered. You should always know where your wand is at least.

What the hell do you want! Harry yelled and, having at least found his glasses by now, jumped to his feet.

Mind your language, Potter. Snape muttered.

Harry found his wand, grabbed it and raised his hand in front of him, ready to strike. What do you want!

I'm here following the headmaster's order to renew one of the protection spells. And you should rather put that wand away unless you want to get yourself into serious trouble for attacking a teacher, Mr. Potter. Severus hissed.

But I... you... why... no. Harry stammered, still pointing his wand at Snape.

If you expect any sort of reaction from me it would be advisable to form a coherent sentence first.

Why exactly you? Harry barked. Why doesn't he do it himself or send someone else, Lupin or Tonks or Moody?

Because I had the misfortune to be the only one available.

What sort of spell is that after all!

That's none of your concern, Potter.

Oh, none of my business, right? This is just where I live and that spell's just put up here because of me but of course I don't have to know what any of this is about, right! Harry yelled, waving around his wand while he was speaking.

Severus replied calmly, just about to turn away and leave.

Stop right there, don't move! You're not going anywhere before I know what you did! Harry stretched out his arm so that his wand was pointing straight between Snape's eyes. I mean it.

As I just told you...

I don't believe one word you tell me! Harry barked. And I don't care if Dumbledore says he trusts you, I don't! Not one bit!

Severus glared at him out of narrowed eyes. Who do you think you are, believing you had a right to doubt my loyalties, Potter. He hissed.

It's your fault that Sirius is dead! Harry yelled, glaring back at him. His heart was beating fast now that he had finally uttered what he had been thinking all the time.

Snape just smirked at him. If you want to find someone to blame other than Black himself I'd suggest you should consider starting with yourself. He said in a low voice.

Don't you speak about him like that!

Black's irredeemable recklessness and stubbornness got him killed, nothing and nobody else.

Harry felt his hands trembling with rage. I wish he would have gotten you, I wish Voldemort would have killed _you_! He saw Snape wince when he spoke the name and at that moment he just wanted to shout _Voldemort_ at him again and again, just to see if like that he could get to him.

I hate to disappoint you, Potter, but the Dark Lord has no desire to see me dead. Snape sneered.

Oh yes, he does! Harry replied with a triumphant smile. He said so! Last year, when he returned. He said there were three of you missing, one was Crouch, serving him at Hogwarts; another one too much a coward to return and....

And one who I believe has left me forever - he will be killed, of course. Severus said softly. He wasn't referring to me, Potter.

Of course he... hang on. Harry stopped speaking and stared at him blankly for a moment. How can you know? How can you know what he said!

Severus snorted and shook his head. Use your brain, Potter. I know it because I was there.

You were there?

Snape looked as indifferent as ever.

You were there! You were standing there among them and just watching everything and you didn't do a thing!

Severus neither thought it was necessary nor did he want to defend himself in front of that insolent and ignorant kid and when the door to Harry's room opened any decision about this was made unnecessary anyway; both of them whirled around and saw the whole Dursley family standing in the doorway and staring at them.

How dare you! Vernon Dursley barked, his eyes darting from Harry to Snape and back again.

_So much for preferably unnoticed._

One of _these_ people! Here in my house! Vernon continued, gesturing wildly with his hands, his face growing constantly redder.

Now I definitely didn't invite him! Harry yelled back at him.

I told you a million times! Vernon hissed. I don't want to have anything to do with those weird people and I won't allow any of them inside my house!

I have nothing to do with it! Harry shouted while Snape silently watched the scene, contemplating whether or not he should feel insulted by what that agitated oversized Muggle had just said.

Vernon Dursley couldn't have been convinced by whatever Harry could have said. Those people are _your _friends, they're coming here for _you_! Not enough that last year there...

May I interrupt you for a moment. Snape said softly and took a step out of the shadows and towards Harry's uncle.

Vernon stopped speaking and stared at him for a moment. You may not! He barked. How dare you just break into this house and now-

Very suddenly he fell silent and Dudley, who had been standing next to his father, took a careful step back onto the corridor and towards his mother. Snape was standing right in front of Harry's uncle now and, taking advantage of the fact that he was quite a little taller than him, glaring down at him, looking as dangerous as Harry had ever seen him. You'd better mind your manners now and keep your nose out of things that are none of your business. Severus hissed, barely audible.

Vernon Dursley swallowed hard and involuntarily took a step backwards while Harry was still holding his wand towards Snape in his outstretched hand. He definitely wasn't very fond of his uncle and he would have loved seeing Snape going to Azkaban for doing something to him but he wasn't too sure _what_ _exactly_ Snape might be capable of doing once he was provoked.

Dudley, Petunia, go back to bed. Vernon whispered. This concerns only the boy, it's none of our business.

Harry let his hand sink as he watched the Dursleys slowly retreating to their rooms, never taking their eyes off the uninvited visitor. He was surprised to see his uncle giving in so easily but he also had to admit that Snape had looked pretty intimidating, probably even more so if one wasn't used to his always grumpy and a little scary appearance. Although anyone who knew a little more about him probably had even more reason to be afraid of him.

Severus remained standing motionless until he heard the doors fall closed and then, without even looking at Harry once more, strode out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him, leaving Harry standing next to his bed and staring after him.

  


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AN: Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it. Tell me if you did, makes me soooo happy ;)

Ronnie: Thank you! I'm glad to see you back :) I didn't get all my questions answered in book 5 as well, I'll try to make up some answers now...

Ice Lupus: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it, I hope you'll continue to enjoy it.

shadowycat: Thank you! So glad you like it this far :)

zippy zany: Thank you, also for your review of my other story, I'm glad you enjoyed that one :)

n snape: Thank you, I hope you liked this chapter!

Jocelyn: Thank you =)

sparkle-2oo3: Thank you, I hope you liked this!

carpathia: Thank you! I'm glad you think I managed to keep them in character; sorry, just normal robes ;)


	4. Potions NEWT

Potions NEWT

Hogwarts lay in nearly complete darkness when he returned, the mighty towers almost invisible against the black sky. Barely any student had ever seen their school like this because during the term the torches in the main corridors and in the halls usually always remained burning, even at night. But now, with only a few staff members, ghosts and house elves present and most of the school empty, that wasn't necessary.

But although one couldn't yet see it from down here, Severus knew that there were still two torches illuminating the side entrance below the small tower; the castle knew its inhabitants, it knew when they left and when to expect them back and it always left a light on for him.

  


Harry couldn't sleep. He had been sitting in his room, waiting to hear the front door being closed and then he had looked out of his window to watch Snape walking away from the house and vanishing in the shadows down the street. Just so he could be sure that he was really gone. After staring down onto the empty quiet street for at least half an hour he finally felt sure enough that he wouldn't return and went back to sitting on his bed. Harry was angry. Once again neither Dumbledore nor anyone else seemed to think it was necessary to inform him about things actually concerning no one but him and they rather continued patronizing him just as if he was too stupid to understand anyway. And he was worried; if Snape could just show up standing in his room, who else could? And after all, how important were those spells if Dumbledore thought it was worth sending him here in the middle of the night? He wanted some answers but he knew that nobody would be too willing to provide them. Sirius would have. He would have understood how he felt and he would have told him what he deserved to know.

Harry jumped to his feet and slowly walked over to the white owl sitting in a cage next to the window. He opened the cage, reached inside and gently ruffled the feathers on the bird's chest.

What do you think, Hedwig? He whispered.

Outside it started raining. Harry gathered his quill and a piece of parchment from the floor, jumped onto his bed and began writing to Lupin and the others. They would be expecting to hear from him soon anyway and Lupin was also the first person to write to he could think of, aside from Sirius.

  


By the next morning the weak rain of the night before had turned into a fullgrown summer thunderstorm and during the morning hours it remained dark and cold in the castle's halls and corridors while the roaring thunder seemed to make the school's ancient walls shake.

Severus had been sleeping way too late for his own taste and had wasted another hour by trying to persuade himself to leave his rooms and get some work done before he finally set off to the staff room.

When he opened the door he found McGonagall and Madam Hooch sitting at the table, both reading and barely looking up when he entered the room. He wondered only briefly what Madam Hooch was doing here at all before he spotted the folder he had handed to the house elf the night before lying on the table and took a seat there. The second he flipped open the folder, pulled out a sheet of paper and started studying it, Madam Hooch rolled up her magazine, nodded at both her colleagues and left the staff room.

He didn't pay any attention to McGonagall watching him over the rim of her book, not even when she looked up and gave him a questioning look after seeing him shaking his head over the paper he had been reading.

Do we have the OWL results yet? Severus asked.

They sent them this morning. McGonagall replied, gesturing at the shelf behind her. Are you already doing your NEWT applications?

Yes, I thought whenever I have some time I should use it. He muttered, stood up and walked over to the shelf at the opposite wall to search the pile of paper for the examination reports on the only subject he was supposed to be interested in - although he would have very much liked to take a quick look at what Umbridge had managed to teach her students during the last year. He pulled the blue folder from the pile, checked the label to make sure they hadn't suddenly decided to change the colours and went back to his place where he began searching the folder for the exam results of one very special student. He found the paper, quickly scanned it and immediately a very typical smirk crept onto his face. McGonagall watched him as he took his quill, crossed out the whole NEWT application form, attached it to the exam result paper and put both aside.

What was that now? She asked.

That was me not accepting an application for my NEWT class; you should have seen it before. Severus replied softly, studying another paper with exam results and not even looking up.

Accio paper! McGonagall muttered and now Snape did look up, slammed his hand onto the table to keep the papers from moving away and missed them only by an inch.

Excuse me? He hissed, wearing an expression which should have reminded her that he couldn't stand it when others started meddling with what he regarded as his sphere of responsibility.

McGonagall didn't react, she simply read the results paper and then looked up at him again. Potter needs a NEWT in Potions. She said dryly. He even received an 'Outstanding' in his theoretical test; you can't be serious about not accepting him.

Potter got an A in his practical exam which gets him an average of 'Exceeds Expectations'. Close but not a hit, I'm afraid. Severus replied with a complacent smile. McGonagall had told him about Potter's dream job, still he had been surprised to see him _not_ wanting to drop Potions - Potter should know by now that he wasn't good enough. And also that his teacher really never wanted to see him in his classroom again. _That might be the one and only reason for him not to drop it. Just to annoy me._

An E should definitely be regarded as sufficient for any NEWT class... McGonagall said in a low voice.

I have my principles.

Couldn't you give it a second thought?

He frowned at the idea. _A second thought? On Potter? Why on earth should I? _Even if I wanted to, I have to stick to my principles; had it been an E in the practical exam, I could have.

McGonagall sighed inaudibly and as Severus went back to his application forms she continued reading her book.

So if Potter achieved an E in his practical test, you would accept him? She asked after only a few minutes of silence.

_No. But what's said is said and since he didn't anyway... _Yes, I might. Severus replied. He was nearly done with the applications, he never received many and he usually accepted even less.

Very well. McGonagall muttered more to herself.

May I ask why you put so much effort into making sure that Potter gets a NEWT in Potions?

Because I promised to do everything within my powers to make it possible for him to become an Auror.

_How lovely. _It's not quite within your powers though; after all you would still need my signature if you should be thinking about a reexamination request.

Now I'm sure you wouldn't refuse giving me your signature.

Severus took a deep breath, leaned back in his chair and gave her a scrutinizing look. Even if you should be able to make up a reason good enough for the examination board to accept it, Potter would already be lucky to achieve an A again, let alone anything above that.

Will you sign it? McGonagall asked impatiently.

Yes, I'll sign it. _Just to prove that I'm right, just to see Potter try and fail once more._

He turned his head when he heard the door opening behind him. Ah, Severus, here you are. Dumbledore greeted him cheerfully. Did everything work out well?

Severus grimaced slightly. He then replied. _I replaced the spell, didn't I?_

Did anyone notice you?

The whole house noticed me. He growled.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. So Harry knows you were there? As well as his aunt and uncle?

And his cousin, yes. Snape sneered. Potter managed to actually shout everyone awake.

No problems?

No. They were pretty cooperative and I was just about to leave anyway. I suppose you will have to expect some inquiries from Potter though.

Yes, yes... probably. Dumbledore muttered, already lost in thought and on his way out again.

  


When Harry had woken up that morning he had been pretty surprised that the door to his room hadn't been locked - he had expected some sort of punishment for having invited one of his freaky friends, as his uncle would probably put it. He had been even more surprised when he had gone down to the kitchen for breakfast and nobody even mentioned the incident; obviously Snape's sudden appearance in the house had reminded the Dursleys of what Mr. Weasley, Moody and the others had said to them at the train station. So Harry thought for the first time it might actually have been a good thing to see Snape.

He spent the whole day waiting for a reply to that letter he had sent to Lupin last night. He hadn't written much, just that he was doing fine and that he'd really like to know why Snape had showed up in his room in the middle of the night. He knew he couldn't use Snape's name because nobody could know for sure who might read those letters, so after thinking about it for half an hour he had settled for calling him 'the greasy git', hoping dearly that it wasn't too obvious and especially that Snape himself would never ever read it.

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading! The next chapter is nearly finished so I'll probably upload it within one or two days.

Ice Lupus: Thank you! I hope you'll continue to like it.

sparkle-2oo3: Thank you :) I'm glad you think that I've written the characters well, hope you liked this one.

sam: Thank you! I hope you also liked this one.

shadowycat: Thank you :) I think you're probably right about Voldemort talking about Snape, but well, I've already written about that so I thought I'd go for something new ;)

Melissa Jooty: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it, I hope you also liked this chapter.

Anna Mette: Thank you :) I really hope you'll like this.


	5. Another Visitor

Another Visitor

Harry didn't get a reply to his letter. Actually he got something a lot better: a visitor. And this time it even was someone he didn't hate from the depth of his heart. It was late in the afternoon, two days after he had sent his letter, when he heard the doorbell. He didn't bother to put his book aside and get up from his bed, being convinced it was either one of Dudley's stupid friends or someone trying to sell vacuum cleaners or magazines. Although the latter ones even sounded like an interesting change to his boring day. He turned a page in his way too old to still be very interesting Quidditch magazine when he heard voices from downstairs. One of them was clearly aunt Petunia's high and pretty annoying voice while the other one sounded calmer and - although hoarse - somehow pleasant. Somehow familiar. Harry let the magazine drop to the floor, jumped up from his bed, strode across his room and opened the door a little to eavesdrop on the conversation.

I see you were just about to have tea? I hope I didn't disturb you.

No, no... of course not... Petunia Dursley stammered. May I... er... offer you something as well?

That's very kind of you but most unfortunately I don't have the time to stay for too long. As I said, I just wanted-

Lupin! Yes, that definitely was him. Harry dashed down the stairs and came to an abrupt halt at the end of the stairs where his aunt and Lupin were standing.

Lupin whirled around and greeted him with a broad grin. He looked even a little more tired and exhausted than he usually did, as if he had been under quite a lot of stress lately - well, they all had been. How are you?

Er... all right. Harry replied quickly. What are you doing here?

Oh, just dropped by to see if everything's fine. Lupin said, winking at Petunia Dursley. And to have a word with you.

Harry nodded. Yeah, sure... let's go upstairs.

He set off up the stairs, Lupin flashed Petunia a smile, received a pretty disgusted look in return and then followed him.

  


So you got my letter? Harry asked as soon as he had sat down on his bed, only a second later thinking that it was quite a stupid question, it obviously was the reason why he had come here.

Lupin muttered, slowly walking across the room and glancing around, surveying his surroundings. Must have been a bit of a shock to see Snape standing in front of your bed in the middle of the night, eh?

You bet it was. Harry replied and Lupin smiled at him before turning away to gaze out of the window for a moment.

Listen, Harry... I know you don't like him. Lupin said in a low voice. And I'm not asking you to like him, I mean, good heavens, who does? He turned back to Harry again, the smile on his face making way for a more serious and maybe even worried expression. But you have to trust him.

Harry slowly shook his head. You're asking a little too much of me there. He muttered.

Think about it, Harry: if he had really wanted to harm you, didn't he have a lot of chances? Even more so during the last year with Dumbledore gone?

Harry replied defiantly. But what about Sirius?

Lupin lowered his gaze to the ground and shook his head - this clearly was something he didn't want to talk about. Nobody's to blame for that. He muttered.

There was an endless moment of silence and Harry decided to say something just so it wouldn't last forever.

But... but what about Quirrel?

Lupin repeated, giving him a blank look.

Well, he - or rather, Voldemort - tried to kill me and Snape kept him from doing it, right?

Right. He saved you, that proves my point.

But Voldemort knows Snape saved me. Harry continued. He had been thinking about this for quite a while and now was eager for telling someone about it. It wasn't something he had to do to make sure he wouldn't lose Dumbledore's trust, so I suppose Voldemort should be pretty suspicious of him for why he did it. I can't believe Voldemort would still trust him after that unless he did something pretty important for him, or because he still needed him, like with those Occlumency lessons he gave me... maybe he... His voice trailed off when he saw Lupin shaking his head.

Severus had no idea that it wasn't Quirrel but You-Know-Who he was dealing with and that's also what he told him. I know you thought he might have tried to produce the opposite effect from what Dumbledore wanted with those Occlumency lessons but you're mistaken there. Lupin said. If it was true, then how much sense would it have made for him to inform the Order about you being in danger at the Ministry?

Harry opened his mouth to say something but quickly realised that he had run out of arguments.

Do _you_ trust him? He asked instead.

Lupin smiled weakly, folded his arms and leaned back against the wall. Of course I do. I'm drinking that potion he gives me once a month, right?

Yeah... but what makes you so sure that he's not going to poison you one of these days? He's not too fond of you really. And no matter how much Harry hated him, that was something he couldn't really blame him for anymore, not with what he knew now.

Lupin shrugged his shoulders. He won't, I just know.

Because Dumbledore trusts him, right?

Right. And because I know what he did for our side.

But what makes Dumbledore so sure? What if he's wrong?

Well, Severus is quite an actor, but I suppose it would take a lot more to fool Dumbledore.

If you believe he can fool You-Know-Who, why not him?

Lupin had to smile at the boy's persistence, it just reminded him so much of his father. He took a deep breath and sat down at the desk standing near the window. Have a guess who taught Snape about Occlumency. He said softly. Dumbledore knows everything about him, he knows his memories, his thoughts, his emotions, everything. So if he trusts him, I will. And so should you.

Harry muttered, neither sounding nor being very convinced. So what about those spells? What are they?

Barriers mostly. To keep uninvited visitors from entering the house.

That's all you're going to tell me?

What else would you want to know? Lupin asked. The names wouldn't tell you much, most of them aren't the sort of magic you learn in school.

Harry gave him a shrug that indicated he would content himself with the little information he had received.

Oh, there's something else I wanted to ask you. Lupin said. I hear you want to continue Potions next year?

Er... yeah, well, I don't exactly _want_ to but I suppose I have to.

Lupin nodded. Professor McGonagall told me your Potions results were pretty good...

You already know my OWL results? Harry interrupted him.

Yes, I do, they'll send them to you pretty soon. Anyway, you'd need at least one grade better to reach the standard Snape has set for his NEWT class. Professor McGonagall tried to persuade him to make an exception but, as you can imagine, he won't budge, so she told me to ask you if you'd be willing to take the test once more.

Sure, why not. Harry said. Actually I wouldn't have expected to get anywhere close to an 'Outstanding'... They'd really let me try again?

I'm sure she'll be able to convince them; but you'd have to work hard. It would be quite embarrassing for her if you'd fail there.

Of course, I'll do my best. Harry didn't really have anything to do during the holidays so he thought he could just as well spend his time studying. After all, it should be worth it; he hadn't spent too much time thinking about his future after Hogwarts, but whenever he did, the only thing he could imagine was being an Auror and he needed a NEWT in Potions for that. Although he wasn't too sure it really was worth enduring two more years in Snape's classroom.

Good, I'll let Minerva know. Lupin said and smiled at him. I'm afraid I have to leave again already, still have a few things to do.

Harry said in a low voice, got up from his bed and led Lupin down the stairs again. Petunia Dursley saw them but rather tried to pretend she hadn't and concentrated on her teacup until she heard the front door falling closed. But even then she didn't say anything, she just looked up at Harry, shooting him a very angry look, but Harry couldn't have cared less and smiled at his aunt before he ran up the stairs again.

* * *

AN: I hope you liked this. No Snape at all, but he'll definitely be back in the next chapter.

Ice Lupus: Thank you :) I'm really glad to hear you liked it :)

sparkle-2oo3: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it :) Can't wait to see where I'm taking the story either ;)

Snivellus aka Heather Granger: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it :) Fun idea about Malfoy.

shadowycat: Thank you :) Er.. yeah, the weather... make it two storms then ;) And thank you for correcting my English, I hate it when I don't get it right.

sethnakht: Thank you, I'm glad to hear you liked it :) Have you read shadowycat's "He Who Laughs Last"? I liked that.


	6. Potions Exam, Again

Potions Exam, Again

Tuesday, nine thirty. McGonagall said curtly as Severus stepped into her office. He came to a halt and gave her a questioning look. And don't look at me as if you hadn't known you would have to be there as well. She added, knowing his expression without actually looking up from her work.

_Of course I know, I've done it before... Still, I had hope. But well, it might actually be quite an amusing performance to watch. _He took another step towards her desk and placed a folder in front of her. Potions supply lists, not a Sickle above the budget. He said.

Good, although I would have expected you to hand them in yesterday like everyone else did. She replied.

_That sounds a lot as if you were just about to take ten points from Slytherin. _

I sent an owl to Mr. Potter, telling him that I'm going to pick him up Monday evening and we'll take him to the Ministry from here.

So you're going to be there as well?

Of course I will, I filed the request after all.

Yes, of course. Severus said slowly. I just thought maybe you would rather have spared yourself the embarrassment.

McGonagall put her papers aside, leaned back in her chair and smiled at him. I suppose _you_ would be the one to be held responsible for Mr. Potter's abilities. Which might even turn out to be something positive; I for one am convinced that he will succeed.

Severus smirked back at her. He'd be lucky to reach an A again.

I'd wager five Galleons on an 'Exceeds Expectations'. McGonagall suggested.

He hesitated for a moment. Let's make it a little more interesting by adding one week of midnight rounds through the castle.

She nodded. Very well. You'd better prepare for some sleepless nights.

I hope two weeks in a row won't ask too much of you, you're not as used to it as I am.

McGonagall smiled, took her quill and went back to her work. Don't you worry about that, young man... She muttered without looking up at him once more.

  


Severus spent the better part of his Monday evening prowling the corridors in front of the staff room just to make sure he would accidentally come across McGonagall on her way back to her office. He had given up walking around and been lurking out there, leaning against an old statue and watching the door for at least half an hour before it finally swung open.

So you're taking Potter by Floo? He asked softly as soon as McGonagall had stepped outside.

She had gotten too used to hearing his voice from out of the shadows where ever one would least expect him to be and thus usually couldn't be startled by his presence anymore. Are you bored? She asked and started walking along the corridor. Nothing better to do than waiting around out here?

Severus reluctantly set off to follow her. Did you connect that Muggle house to the network?

Just for fifteen minutes, we don't want to take any risks.

Yes, yes, of course. He muttered more to himself. Are you going to apparate there?

No, I'll go by Floopowder as well. How come you're so interested in all that all of a sudden?

I'm a curious person. Nine thirty it was tomorrow?

McGonagall replied, opened the door to her office, stopped and turned around to face him. And please, be on time.

_I'm always on time._ _You don't believe I'd show up late just to make a bad impression on Potter's behalf, do you? _Severus smirked. Keep a good eye on Potter, you know he has a great talent for going astray.

You're not worried about losing your bet, are you?

Not in the least. He nodded at her, turned away and left.

McGonagall looked after him for a moment before she put on her travelling cloak and stepped into the fireplace.

  


Only a minute later an electric fireplace shot across the living room of No. 4 Privet Drive and Minerva McGonagall found herself standing in a cloud of dust with three dumbstruck Muggles staring at her.

What the hell! Vernon Dursley barked, jumped up from his chair, took his eyes off the witch standing in his living room and glared down at Harry who was sitting next to him at the dinner table.

Harry said, smiling sheepishly. Did I forget to tell you?

McGonagall gave him a stern look. Mr. Dursley, Mrs. Dursley, I'm very sorry if my visit came unexpected for you. She said, glancing around the room. I will of course fix this before I leave.

Harry stared back indifferently at his uncle who was still glaring at him but sitting down again now, his face constantly growing redder. Harry's aunt was looking from her husband to McGonagall and back again while Dudley just stared at McGonagall, holding a fork full of French beans motionless a few inches above his plate with his mouth opened wide.

When nobody seemed to want to say anything, Harry got up from his chair, muttered I'll get my stuff then. and set off to fetch his backpack from his room. When he returned a few minutes later he found the living room looking exactly like it had before, as if nobody had moved or even spoken while he was gone.

Well, I'll probably be back tomorrow then; not as if you'd care. He muttered while walking around the table.

McGonagall smiled at him and handed him a small bag filled with Floopowder. It's Hogwarts, visitor's grate two. She said in a low voice. Harry stepped into hole in the wall that would have to serve as a fireplace, tossed a hand full of Floopowder down and truly regretted that he couldn't see the expression on the faces of his so called family as they watched him disappear in the green flames.

  


Severus was standing hidden in shadow in a corner on the first floor from where he had a good view on the fireplace in the Entrance Hall and was waiting for Harry's arrival. Would anyone have cared for his opinion he would have suggested a portkey; regarding the traveller's safety he had always preferred them over the Floo network with its innumerable wrong exits where one could end up. The other advantage of course was that you didn't look like a chimney sweep once you reached your destination.

A moment later Harry was spit out of the fireplace and thrown onto the ground in a cloud of dust and ash. Severus remained where he was rather than bidding him welcome - the headmaster was probably on his way down already to meet with his favourite student. He watched Harry getting back to his feet and dusting off his clothes and as soon as he could hear Dumbledore's footsteps on the stairs he turned away and left for his office. Severus knew he would have to inform the Dark Lord about Potter's arrival, tomorrow at the latest. Today would probably be the better choice but it didn't seem like a good idea to him to let them know what Potter was up to tomorrow; here in the castle, he was safe, but in the Ministry, especially without Dumbledore by his side, no one could tell.

  


The next day was way too hot. Not for the time of year probably but definitely for someone dressed in black, carrying along a cloak and making his way along a crowded street; he usually refrained from wearing his cloak when he was surrounded by Muggles, he got enough funny looks from them like this already. To make sure he wouldn't be seen, Severus had apparated in one of the halls of an old cardboard factory that hadn't seen a Muggle visitor in ages and was located only a few streets away from the Ministry. From there it took him only a few minutes to reach the visitor's entrance. After putting his cloak back on he glanced around once more before he stepped into the telephone box. He took his badge which read _Severus Snape, Reexamination_, thought it sounded and awful lot as if he was the one about to take the test, put it into his pocket, leaned back and closed his eyes, not paying attention to anything after Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to....

A minute later he stepped out of the telephone box and walked across the hall towards the security checkpoint where McGonagall and Potter were standing and obviously waiting for him.

It's twenty-five minutes past nine. McGonagall said and threw him a stern look.

I'm aware of that. He replied while the security wizard was searching him.

The guard muttered lazily and Severus handed him his wand.

Five minutes earlier wouldn't have done harm. McGonagall said.

Twelve-and-a-half inches, dragon heartstring, twenty-nine years, correct? The security wizard muttered.

Severus hissed and took his wand from the other man's hand. _Why do you even ask? Has it ever not been correct?_

Sir, you're not wearing your visitor's badge, you're required to-

He was by now sounding just as annoyed as he felt, took the badge from his pocket and pinned it to the front of his cloak. Who are the examiners? He asked, turning to McGonagall and still not even looking at Harry as they set off towards the lifts.

Vanek, Hippelius and Kelstone. She replied, reading the names from a piece of parchment she had been carrying with her.

Severus repeated, gave Harry a scrutinizing look and smirked at him. So, Potter, where's your tie? For a moment he gloated over the blank look Harry was giving him in reply before turning back to McGonagall.

You're not serious, are you? She asked as they entered the lift.

Absolutely serious.

Er... excuse me? Harry asked carefully, turning to McGonagall. What are you talking about?

Rumour has it that Erasmus Vanek refuses to test anyone not showing up _properly_ _dressed_. She replied.

I wouldn't call it a rumour. Snape said softly, taking off his visitor's badge again and putting it back into his pocket. I had to witness my first NEWT reexamination candidate being thrown out of Vanek's office because he wasn't wearing tie and jacket. He glanced down at Harry again and could barely hide a smile as he saw the boy growing paler and more nervous with every second.

Potter, you need a tie. McGonagall stated, the lift came to a halt and she strode outside.

But I didn't bring my school tie. Harry replied and followed her out onto the corridor her.

We're late. Severus said, taking a look at his pocket watch.

McGonagall glared at him in a way that would have sent any student fleeing into the forest and it seemed to be just enough to make her colleague shut up.

Mr. Potter, hand me your watch, please. She said and Harry did as he was told. McGonagall took out her wand, pointed it at the watch and a moment later she had transfigured it into a blue tie which Harry hastily put on while following his teachers along the corridor.

When they entered the office they were greeted with a grumpy About time. and Snape and McGonagall immediately took their seats next to the long desk where the three examiners were waiting already while Harry remained standing next to a cauldron in the middle of the room, glancing around and waiting to be told what to do.

You can stay right were you are, Mr. Potter. The grumpy voice said and the old balding man sitting in the middle between the other two examiners looked up from his papers to take a look at Harry. Let us begin then, shall we.

Severus wasn't too surprised that Vanek hadn't even said a word to him, they didn't like each other; he had expected him to show a little more respect towards the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts though.

Mr. Potter. Erasmus Vanek said and leaned back in his chair, looking at Harry as if still searching for a reason to throw him out of his office. In my latest article published in Potion Maker's DigestI discussed the possibility of revising and changing some of the ingredients of certain very traditional potions; what do you think about it?

Harry stared at him for a moment before stammering Er... well, I... and glancing over at his teachers in search for help just to find Snape sneering at him.

Excuse me, but isn't this meant to be a practical test? McGonagall said.

I always expect some basic knowledge from the students. Vanek replied curtly and without taking his eyes of Harry.

I definitely wouldn't regard this as basic knowledge. McGonagall said defiantly.

This time he turned to face her and smiled at her. My dear Professor McGonagall, although your outstanding skills regarding Transfigurations can't be denied, I don't believe this is quite your area of expertise. Vanek said and turned back to Harry again. So, Mr. Potter, what do you think about the idea of replacing the bat wings and the nightshade in the Draught of the Living Dead in relation to the influence it would have on the potion's effects?

McGonagall shot the examiner a deadly glare but didn't say anything else. Severus however was very pleased; not only was Potter going to fail but it looked as if he was also going to make quite a fool of himself along the way. He dwelled on the thought only for a few seconds before McGonagall kicked him below the table. He didn't have to look at her to know that she wanted him to say something. And she was right, knowledge like that couldn't be expected from a fifth year. But on the other hand, this was Potter, so no matter how unfair the question might be, it was just fine with him.

Severus cleared his throat. May I interrupt you for a second. He said softly, not waiting for a reply. Although personally I found your article very inspiring and would recommend studying it to each of my students, I have to say that the subjects you discussed there are probably a little too complex to be fully understood by a fifth year student.

The old wizard looked at him for a moment, obviously feeling flattered by what he had heard. Very well, you might be right about this, it might actually be too difficult for this young man to understand. He said. Let us move on to the practical test then.

  


During the next forty-five minutes Severus started to regret that he had said anything at all. Harry was doing extremely well, way better than he would have expected, and once he was done with his potion Severus was pretty sure that he would have to pay McGonagall five Galleons for the honour of seeing Potter in his classroom for two more years.

You haven't read that article, have you? McGonagall asked in a low voice as soon as they had left Vanek's office again.

Of course I haven't. Severus replied. _I'd rather spend two hours staring at a blank wall than reading one word that self-righteous arrogant fool has written._

He winced, recognising the voice as belonging to the one man he really hadn't wanted to meet here even before turning around.

Who's that? McGonagall whispered, scrutinizing the young man striding along the corridor towards them.

Get Potter back to the school, I'll meet you there. Severus replied in a low voice and started walking towards the other man, leaving Harry and McGonagall standing alone at the lift.

  


* * *

AN: This took me quite a little more time to update than I had planned; well, at least it's long. The next one will probably take even longer because I will have to decide on one the plots I've thought about. Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it.

sparkle-2oo3: Thank you! I'm glad you liked the last chapter, hope you also liked this one. There'll probably be more of Lupin in this story, he's one of my favourites ;)

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shadowycat: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it and that you think I'm still good with Lupin, it's been a while since I've written him.

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	7. Connections

Connections

Severus could see Harry entering the lift out of the corner of his eye as he shook hands with Zodec Thesdale, to the best of his knowledge the only Death Eater in the whole Ministry; and of course he had to run straight into him in those ten minutes he spent in the corridors of the building.

How are you, Severus, how is work? Zodec asked in a conversational tone, smiling at him, but his vivid steelblue eyes clearly suggested that this was not what he wanted to talk about. He was in his early twenties, very tall, almost skinny, and despite his age his short hair was as white as his skin - all in all he looked like he belonged into the Department of Mysteries rather than being responsible for some paperwork regarding the control of magical creatures.

_Why can't you just stay in your office where you belong. _Fine, fine, as it always is. Severus replied. On your way back to your office?

Zodec nodded, understanding that they should rather get a little further away from the crowded main corridors before continuing with their conversation, and they started walking towards the stairs.

Was that who I think it was? Zodec asked in a low voice as soon as they were more or less alone.

It was indeed. Severus replied.

So may I ask how come that- Zodec stopped talking as he spotted an elderly witch carrying a pile of books coming towards them. Meredith, good morning! He said cheerfully, the witch smiled at him and walked past them. ...that you just walk in here with _the boy_?

They barely ever called Potter by his name, they usually just called him _the boy_. Not _The Boy Who Lived_, of course. And why didn't anyone know about it, is that what you wanted to say?

No, no, of course not. Zodec said quickly. I just wondered... He let his voice trail off.

_Keep wondering, you little moron. _ Severus said softly. Now I wouldn't want to keep you wondering and I also need someone to pass on the information. He hesitated for a moment and glanced around to make sure nobody was within hearing range. Today he was here for his exam; unfortunately I learned about this only at very short notice so what's more interesting now is when and how they will take him back home. Let our master know about that. As soon as I will receive any information I'm going to contact you again. He came to a halt in front of the small office, turned around to face the younger man, put a hand on his shoulder and looked deep into his eyes. This is important, can I rely on you?

The younger man smiled at him. Of course you can.

_You young people, so easy to manipulate. I make you feel important and you immediately turn into a loyal little servant. _Very well. Severus said and quickly added a Good day to you. when he saw two wizards walking along the corridor, nodded at the other man and left. This hadn't gone quite the way he had planned it but he was sure it was going to work out nonetheless and at least like this he hopefully wouldn't have to spend his evening in the Dark Lord's company.

  


Severus apparated outside the gates of Hogwarts a few minutes later, realised it had become even warmer by now, cursed the sun and the summer in general and started walking up to the castle.

He pushed open the large double doors with enough force to make McGonagall and Harry who had just been walking across the Entrance Hall come to a sudden halt and stare at him.

Where's Dumbledore? He asked, already walking towards the stairs.

In his office, I suppose. McGonagall replied. Who was that man you were talking to?

I'll explain later. Severus muttered and climbed up the stairs. On his way from the gates up to the entrance doors he had actually grown a little worried about the whole situation and would have preferred to know Potter back with his Muggles already rather than seeing him here. Actually he always preferred to know Potter was some place where he wouldn't have to see him, as far away from him as possible, but this time at least he had reasons even Dumbledore wouldn't call completely irrational.

He reached the stone statue guarding the headmaster's office a minute later. Lemon fudge? It sounded more like a question than like an order for the guard to move aside; that had been last week's password so he didn't really expect it to work anyway. And he was proven right. Chocolate frog? Sherbet lemon? Jelly.... marshmallow... something? Of course the gargoyle didn't move an inch and just glared down at him indifferently. You know me, would you just let me in now? He asked in a last desperate attempt, quickly adding a very annoyed a second later, but it had no effect either.

Am I right to assume that you wanted to talk to me? Severus turned around when he heard Dumbledore's voice and saw the headmaster walking towards him.

Yes, indeed.

So how did the test go?

That would depend on your point of view. Severus replied. What I actually wanted to inform you about is that the Dark Lord by now should be aware of Potter's whereabouts, so you will have to keep that in mind when deciding on how to send him back.

You don't trust the Floo network too much, do you? Dumbledore asked thoughtfully.

I never did. But if you decide to take him back by Floo I'd suggest you do it as soon as possible to give them no time to make use of what they know.

You're probably right. I will arrange for him to return home by tomorrow morning; it will take at least a day to get the Ministry's authorization for setting up a portkey.

We could get him back within in an hour if you wouldn't wait for them. Severus muttered.

I sometimes tend to forget your tendency towards breaking the rules. Dumbledore replied and smiled at him. Waiting a few more hours won't do harm.

Severus nodded and turned to leave but then hesitated.

Anything else? Dumbledore asked.

He thought about it for a second. _Anything else. Yes. Enough to fill a book with. I'm convinced that Lucius and his mates will be out of Azkaban again before the Ministry is done with writing their files. I suspect that the Dark Lord is already making plans that will be acted out as soon as they return to him. I fear that he might begin to distrust me sooner or later. And I don't want Potter in my NEWT class._

Severus replied, well aware that Dumbledore could easily tell whenever he was concealing something from him, even if it only were some of his usually unfounded worries. Will you need me to set up the portkey?

No. I don't want to risk you to be seen anywhere around that house, I'll have someone else do it. But would you please tell Harry that we will take him back tomorrow morning?

_Of course, a little chat with Potter always brightens my day. _He scowled and muttered 

  


Severus decided he could just as well tell McGonagall so she could tell Potter and set off to the staff room but unfortunately he found it completely deserted. Next he went to her office, then to her private rooms and after that he searched the Entrance Hall and the Great Hall but neither her nor Potter were to be found anywhere so he went for Gryffindor tower, the only place he could still think of.

Good day, Professor. The Fat Lady guarding the entrance to the Gryffindor common room greeted him politely. On your round through the castle?

On my way to the common room actually. He replied. Is Potter in there?

Yes, Professor, I let him in just a few minutes ago. The password, please?

Umbra Lunae. Severus said and the painting swung aside.

He climbed through the portrait hole and glanced around the common room - it had definitely been a while since he had been here. And he didn't intend to make his stay longer than necessary either.

He called through the empty room, folded his arms over his chest and waited. Get down here instantly! He added when he heard something from the upstairs dormitories.

A moment later Harry came slowly walking down the stairs, greeting him with a cold glare out of narrowed eyes.

You will be taken back to your family tomorrow morning. Severus said and from the way Harry's expression changed he could tell that the boy definitely wasn't very delighted to hear this. So don't waste your time making yourself at home here. He added, smirked at Harry and left him standing there and glaring after him.

  


Harry spent his day prowling the castle and although he regretted that he didn't have his broom and hated Filch for being too mean to let him have one of the school brooms he really enjoyed his day away from the Dursleys and the Muggle world in general. He had dinner in his room again because luckily none of the staff members seemed to have time to have their meals together in the Great Hall anyway; although he pretty much liked all the people here - well, most of them - he thought it would have felt quite awkward being the only student sitting amongst his teachers. After dinner he had finally come to the conclusion that Hogwarts without his friends was almost as boring as Privet Drive and had felt desperate enough to consider reading a book to keep himself entertained. Unfortunately he hadn't brought anything with him but a book on advanced potions which he definitely didn't want to look at anymore before the start of the next term so he had decided to go down to the library to find himself something.

It was five minutes past ten and he was only one staircase and two corridors away from arriving back at his room when he heard quick footsteps. Harry immediately checked his watch, didn't take the time to contemplate if he would get into trouble for being out past curfew even though it was during his holidays and quickly hid between two suits of armor, hoping whoever it was would go down the stairs instead of walking along the corridor. From where he was standing he could see a person turning around the corner and as soon as he identified that person as Snape he didn't at all regret hiding in the shadows as if he had done something wrong although he was convinced he hadn't. Snape was wearing long black travelling robes and seemed to be quite in a hurry and lost in thought - which Harry was pretty glad about because he had no doubt that otherwise he would have noticed him. Harry watched him and held his breath until he saw him walking down the stairs.

Now that was close. He whispered to himself and waited a few more seconds until he couldn't even hear the echo of his footsteps anymore before continuing on his way.

  


Not even an hour later Harry was lying on his bed, sleeping peacefully with his face in his book and soon his mind drifted off into a dream. He was lying in the grass and blinking up into a clear sunny sky. It was a very hot day in summer and the air around him was filled with voices, laughter and the splashing of water. Harry sat up to watch the people in the swimming pool a few yards away from him. A little further away some kids were standing in queue in front of an ice cream parlour and behind that he could see a parking area jammed with cars. He felt tired and the hot sun was making him lazy and since he didn't feel like he had anything special to do he simply lied down and closed his eyes again.

Suddenly everything around him had changed; the sun seemed to have set quite a while ago and it was cold. He was quite sure that he must have dozed off. He jumped to his feet and glanced around the now silent and deserted place, looked over to the parking lot in search for the exit, but there was no parking lot. Actually there was nothing but vast empty grounds reaching up to the dark horizon. The only thing that was still there was the swimming pool but it looked different now; old, only partly filled with murky water, as if it hadn't been used in decades. Harry felt anxiety creeping up inside of him - something was wrong here, very wrong. He was convinced that he could sense the presence of someone or rather, something. He wanted to put on his clothes again but when he looked down he saw that he was already wearing long black robes. Suddenly the emptiness around him was filled with giant old trees casting black shadows onto him. As his eyes got used to the sudden darkness he saw shadowy figures gathered in front of him, all standing motionless and staring at the ground. At that moment he realised that it was a dream. He wasn't himself anymore, it was one of those dreams that made him dive into Voldemort's mind and see through his eyes. He hadn't had a dream like that ever since the one where he had seen Sirius in the Ministry and had hoped this was over but obviously it wasn't. Harry looked down and wasn't very surprised to see someone kneeling at his feet.

And exactly _why_ haven't you been informed about it? Harry asked slowly in that high, cold voice.

I don't know, my lord. The man kneeling on the ground whispered and Harry immediately recognised Snape's voice although he didn't sound anything like he knew him; not a trace of his usual arrogance was left.

And they didn't tell you what they are planning to do with him now either, did they? Harry asked. He was pretty sure now that Voldemort was talking about no one but himself.

They didn't, my lord.

You wouldn't attempt to lie to me, would you? Harry said softly, looking down at his servant still kneeling at his feet with his head lowered.

No my lord, I never would.

Harry said slowly. You tell me that Dumbledore doesn't suspect you, yet he doesn't seem to inform you about anything regarding Potter. I wonder how you could possibly explain that to yourself? Snape didn't say anything, obviously knowing he wasn't expected to. Perhaps you're simply not putting enough effort in fulfilling your duties?

Forgive me, master, for failing you. I'm trying-

You're trying. Harry repeated. Look at me and listen closely now. He whispered and Snape slowly raised his head to look up into his master's eyes. _Trying_ is not satisfactory. Harry was sure that for a split second he had seen a strange flicker in Snape's eyes, then he woke up.

Harry sat up straight in his bed and looked around; he was back in his dormitory, alone. Everything he had seen in his dream had felt so real but now it was already fading away again. He got to his feet and walked over to the window. It was still night but the sky already began to take on the twilight announcing the beginning of a new day.

Harry wasn't sure what to do. Maybe he should tell Dumbledore about his dream. Or maybe it really was nothing more than a dream that wasn't worth stirring up trouble. He wasn't anything special after all, not too special to have a simple, normal nightmare like anyone else on this planet. Basically all he would have to do was to find out if Snape had left the castle tonight.

Yeah, sure, no big deal. I'll just knock on his door and ask him what he's been up to lately. Harry muttered and grinned to himself.

  


Good morning! McGonagall said cheerfully as she was striding along the corridor towards the doors leading into the Great Hall where Severus was standing, leaning against the wall with his arms folded and waiting. He just growled something in return that could only have been understood as a Good morning by someone possessing a great amount of imagination but McGonagall couldn't be impressed by his sulkiness at all. You-Know-Who has been spotted again. She continued, taking a quick look into her copy of the Daily Prophet. Last night he seems to have been in merely three places at the same time though.

_Make it four. _People lose their enthusiasm quickly. Severus replied.

Yes, these so-called sightings are decreasing day by day. McGonagall said, folded up her newspaper and gave him one of those inquiring looks he always evaded easily. So are you going to join us for breakfast or rather spend your day lurking at the doors?

The doors for now.

Very well, please yourself then. McGonagall said, smiled at him and left him standing there on his own.

He didn't have to wait for too long before he saw Harry strolling along the corridor; the boy's expression immediately darkened when their eyes met.

So how are you this morning, Mr. Potter? Severus asked as soon as Harry had reached the doors.

Er... fine, I guess. Harry muttered slowly.

Severus watched him closely. He was definitely avoiding his eyes but that was nothing unusual. Nonetheless, something made him sure that kid knew what he was aiming at.

Slept well?

Harry gave him a suspicious look and took another slow step towards the doors. I really have no idea what you want from me but if you don't mind I'll just go and have breakfast now and after that I'll leave anyway. He said and turned to leave but Snape reached out, grabbed his arm, whirled him back around and pushed him against the wall.

Don't play with me, Potter. You know very well what I mean. Severus hissed and glared down at Harry who just stared at him in return. Well, either you know or you're finally convinced that I'm a complete maniac now.

Please let go of me. Harry whispered.

_He's scared. Potter is actually afraid of me. Who would have thought._ Severus took his hand off the boy's arm. Last night, did you dream again? He asked softly.

Harry stared at him for a moment. How can you know?

The headmaster has to be informed about this. Severus said instead of answering the boy's question.

Harry replied slowly. I will tell him about it.

Speak to him immediately. Severus said, turned away and set off back to his rooms. He was pretty sure Potter would do as he had told him, nonetheless he knew better than to rely on it; he would give him half an hour before going to Dumbledore himself.

  


He didn't even have to wait for that time to pass, the headmaster himself showed up at his door just twenty minutes later.

How could you know about it? Dumbledore asked as soon as he had entered the room.

I didn't exactly know it, it was more something like... a suspicion, a feeling. Severus replied slowly, not quite finding the right words to explain it.

When you looked into Voldemort's eyes?

Severus nodded. Yes. There was just something different about him, I can't tell what it was.

Do you think he was aware of Harry's presence?

No, I'm convinced he wasn't.

We will have to take measures in case that might happen again. Dumbledore said. Mr. Potter agreed with my decision that he is to stay here for the rest of the holidays instead of returning to his aunt and uncle. I believe it is still important that he will be taught how to deal with this.

_Brilliant. Holidays with Potter. I really hope you're not expecting me to teach him though, I'd hate to have to disappoint you._

Don't worry, I will be teaching him. Dumbledore added, once again appearing to be able to read his mind but probably simply interpreting his expression. I'll have to go now and tell Remus that we don't need the portkey anymore.

Severus stopped him in the doorway. Just one question: why is it happening again exactly now?

Dumbledore turned back around and looked at him thoughtfully. I'm not sure. I had hoped you could tell me. He replied, smiled at him and left.

  


* * *

AN: Thank you to everyone who's reading, I hope you liked it. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, it means a lot to me :) Sorry for being so uncreative with answering my reviews today, I'm a little pressed for time lately and today especially... And sorry for taking so long to update, same reason ;)

Ice Lupus: Thank you! I'm really glad you enjoyed it :)

Closet_Snapaholic: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it this far and thank you for the 'well written', helps a lot to reduce my doubts about my abilities when it comes to writing in English :)

Bekajwp: Thank you! I'm glad you liked my characterisations

Corgi: Thank you! Glad you liked it!

Jocelyn: Thank you! I'll probably give them a little more understanding for each other but don't worry, I won't allow Snape to become too nice ;)

Athalia: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it!

Elendil Snape: Thank you! I hope you liked this one as well

Arsinoe: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. Talking about believable situations, the story about the tie is actually a true one ;)

sparkle-2oo3: Thank you! I'm not sure yet how long this story is going to be but at least a part of it will be set during Harry's sixth year, depends on my ideas and on how long there are still people out there who want to read it ;)

Tim H. Smith: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it that far and I hope I'll manage to keep you interested in reading! Btw, that wasn't a crappy review, _this_ is a crappy reply ;)

Alicia: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm trying to stay close to the books, I'm glad you think I managed to.

Anna Mette: Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it that far :) And that you thought it was funny :)

yugure: I'm really glad you liked it, I hope this one was worth looking forward to. Danke ;)

shadowycat: Thank you! I'm really glad you liked it, I hope I'll be able to come up with another one as good as the last one then sooner or later ;) I think I'm really starting to enjoy writing McGonagall and Snape...

Pendragon: Thank you! I'm really glad to hear you liked it :) I'll definitely bring up that Pensieve situation again, much too interesting not to ;)

Amiria: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it and thank you for the 'well written', reduces the doubts I have about writing in English ;)

davine: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it :)


	8. Birthday Boy

Birthday Boy

Harry seemed to be quite happy about staying at Hogwarts for the rest of his holidays and that made Severus even more displeased with the situation. That and the fact that he got the impression that Potter was following him with every step he took - at least that seemed to be the only reasonable explanation to why he kept running into that boy at least five times a day, not counting the meals in the Great Hall where he tried to avoid having to show up most of the time anyway. Actually the only time when one could feel safe from meeting that kid was between eight and nine in the evening when he was busy practising Occlumency with the headmaster. This had been going on for five days now and Dumbledore seemed to be convinced that he was making a lot of progress. Severus had his doubts that the lessons with the headmaster actually were much of a challenge for Potter but he had sworn to himself that he wouldn't meddle with things that were - luckily - not his business anymore and he was going to keep to that.

He suspected nothing good already when he spotted McGonagall standing at the doors to the Great Hall the following Monday morning, smiling triumphantly and probably waiting for him. Since she had already seen him he decided that he couldn't really turn around and walk the other way anymore and he knew that even if he did, there was no escape anyway.

I think you owe me five Galleons. McGonagall greeted him and held a piece of parchment up in front of his eyes. Exceeds Expectations.

Mr. Potter seems to have a lot of very well hidden talents. Severus replied after taking a quick glance at the exam results. I suppose I will now have to consider accepting him in my NEWT class.

There's no need to consider anything since you already told me you will accept him if he scored an E. McGonagall said, folded the parchment and put it back into her pocket.

Severus hesitated. He could now say that he had never said that, then she would tell him he had, it would turn into a quarrel probably lasting the whole day and he would lose in the end. _Well then, congratulations, Potter. May my class be the one you hate more than anything else._

As his Head of House you might want to recommend some advanced reading to him then; I would always suggest Caman's Essential 101.

Caman is important literature for anyone striving for an academic degree in potions but I don't think I can remember any student other than yourself ever having read that. McGonagall said, throwing him a not too serious, yet reproachful glance.

Severus shrugged his shoulders and raised an apologetic hand. Just a suggestion. He said, added a muttered I need a coffee. and continued on his way into the Great Hall, leaving McGonagall standing outside to wait for Potter. He definitely didn't need to witness him learning about his test results.

You know about the staff meeting today? She called after him.

Severus replied without turning back around. I'm never being informed about anything here.

There was a note on the staff room door.

_Not on Thursday when I've last been there._ He didn't ask her when that meeting would be, what it would be about and if he was expected to attend. Right now he just wanted his coffee and he was sure that if he was supposed to do anything, someone would let him know.

  


Someone did indeed. At least at four in the afternoon there was a very nervous and very annoying house elf jumping through his office and trying to convince him that he should go up to the staff room. Severus complied immediately, just to get rid of the elf. When he entered the room he found his colleagues brooding over the class schedules already, wondered why they were doing this three weeks earlier than usually and took his seat. Due to the new additional classes it took them over two hours until they had arranged the classes in a way everyone was more or less happy with. Severus couldn't complain, with a nine o'clock lesson only once a week he had gotten pretty much what he wanted; he had asked the headmaster to take care of that. Not because he enjoyed sleeping late but simply because he thought he wouldn't be of much use standing in a classroom at nine in the morning after having returned from a gathering only a few hours before. Once the schedules were done Dumbledore announced that the Minister of Magic was going to visit Hogwarts the following week and that they hadn't found a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher yet. After what had happened in the last few years Severus wouldn't have been surprised if nobody at all would have wanted to take that cursed position anymore; he wasn't even quite sure if he himself would still have wanted to do it. He didn't care much for who would get the job in the end; whoever it was, it probably couldn't get any worse. Actually, thinking about it he couldn't help but admitting that Lupin had probably been the most competent Defense teacher Hogwarts had seen lately - and that was saying something. Nonetheless, he really hoped the headmaster wouldn't consider bringing _him_ back.

One last thing before I can let you leave. Dumbledore said and Severus let his attention return to the meeting. As you all know, during the last term some of the students started having private meetings to train duelling and defending themselves against the Dark Arts.

_Some of the students? The infamous three, as usually. Maybe I should consider including Longbottom from now on and make them the infamous four._

I believe that's basically a good idea. The headmaster continued. Unlike in the regular classes they had the possibility of choosing the members which I regard as an advantage so I decided to allow this to be continued, although not without supervision.

And who's going to do that? Severus asked, not intending to give the impression as if he was interested in applying for this position but nonetheless receiving a look in return that clearly said 'not you'.

I'm not sure about that yet, I'll let you all know as soon as I decided on someone. Dumbledore replied. So unless anyone still has any questions...?

Nobody did. Instead everyone just started gathering their papers and other belongings and getting up from their seats. It was getting close to seven already and after sitting here for nearly three hours everyone just wanted to get out of here and have dinner. Severus remained at his place.

Albus, can I have a minute? He asked once most of the other staff members were on their way outside.

Dumbledore nodded and waited for everyone else to leave before taking his seat again and throwing him a questioning look. Severus cleared his throat and added a few more lines to whatever it was that he had drawn onto the back of his copy of the timetable during the last three hours before he let his quill drop onto the table and looked up.

I have reason to believe that Malfoy and the others are going to attempt breaking out of Azkaban very soon. He said slowly.

We were expecting that, weren't we? Dumbledore replied.

Well, yes. The problem is... I suppose they will be searching help from outside. And I'm afraid that I will be expected to get involved. Severus said and looked straight into his eyes. What do you want me to do?

Dumbledore sighed and leaned back in his chair. I assume that simply staying out of this is no option for you, so I'd suggest you keep me informed and we will decide about this as soon as we know more.

There might be no time to. I need to know what you want me to do; do you want me to work against them, or not? Of course he wouldn't help them, he would try to mess up whatever they did as much as he could without drawing their suspicion onto him; the only question was if he should go further, if this was important enough to risk his position among them.

A few more Death Eaters at large aren't worth risking your exposure as a spy. Dumbledore said curtly after thinking about it for a few seconds. They will be outlaws and thus way less dangerous than before they have been arrested, so do what you can, but no more.

Severus nodded, gathered his papers and stood up. It might be wise to increase the number of guards, just for the next few days at least. As far as I know they only have a few Ministry wizards and Auror trainees watching over them right now.

I will suggest that to the Minister. So am I going to see you at dinner in the Great Hall? Dumbledore asked as they both walked over to the door.

Yes. I'll be there in a few minutes, I'll just have to answer an owl first. He replied and headed for his office.

He was walking along the dark and quiet dungeon corridor when suddenly two suits of armor fell to the ground in a deafening clatter, one right behind him, the other one right in front of him blocking his way. Severus jumped, spun around and glared into the darkness when he heard an annoyingly familiar shrill laughter vanishing along the corridor.

Peeves! Bloody poltergeist! He barked but the ghost knew better than to come back to him. I'll send the Baron after you! Severus called after him. I told you a million times to stay out of the dungeons... He muttered to himself, pulled out his wand to get the junk on the floor back to where it belonged and continued on his way. He had just turned around the corner when he ran into the next unexpected annoyance.

He growled. Nothing better to do than hanging about the dungeons, do you?

I was just... Mr. Filch told me...

Severus hissed and just strode past him, actually not being in the slightest degree interested in what Potter was doing down here or what lame excuse he might come up with.

  


Had he known what date it was, or rather, had he remembered what that meant, he definitely wouldn't have set a foot out of his room. But since he hadn't he now had the pleasure of sitting at his place at the high table and having to decide if he rather wanted to watch birthday boy Potter unwrap his presents, stare down at the piece of cake on the plate in front of him or keep trying to avoid the eyes of a stupidly grinning werewolf. Instead of continuing to hope for the most unlikely event of the earth below him opening up and swallowing him he settled for staring at his plate.

You're not going to eat that? Lupin asked, leaning across the corner of the table towards him.

Why? You want it? Severus snapped.

I just tried to make some conversation... Lupin muttered.

Why don't you just stay over there and mind your own business?

Lupin sighed and leaned back in his chair again. All your cheerful self today, aren't you?

How could I not be with the fantastic company I have here; you, Potter and Weasley? He thought it had probably been Dumbledore's idea to invite Potter's friend for his birthday. He was that sort of sentimental person.

Lupin just rolled his eyes at him in reply and rather returned his attention to Harry. Severus did the same and watched him unwrapping what must have been at least his fifteenth present. He wondered why that boy got so many presents. After all, he didn't have a family, not even a godfather anymore. And those muggles he lived with hadn't made the impression as if they would send him anything. It had to be people who just had pity on him. Or who wanted to ingratiate themselves with the famous Potter. He watched the boy placing another book on top of the three others that were lying on the table already and wondered whether a kid like that would ever even think about actually reading a book. Unless they were books on something as trivial as Quidditch of course.

So what exactly are _you_ doing here? Severus muttered in Lupin's general direction; a little quarrel with the werewolf could be pretty entertaining so he hoped he would take the bait.

Don't worry, I won't stay long. Lupin replied.

How come? It's not like the full moon was approaching, is it?

It's actually Fudge I'm trying to avoid.

_Brilliant, I forgot, the Minister's due today. _You shouldn't have anything to worry about as long as you're not teaching here.

Yes, right. But I suppose you're not really looking forward to meeting him, he's not too fond of you either, is he? Lupin asked with a smirk.

Severus scowled at him and then stared back at his plate again.

  


Fudge arrived two hours earlier than anyone would have expected. Severus spotted him walking across the Entrance Hall next to the headmaster just after telling Lupin that he should go and buy his potions ingredients in Hogsmeade just like everyone else did instead of troubling him with that. When Lupin saw Snape's expression darkening he turned around just in time to see Fudge walking past them and reluctantly greeting them with a curt nod and a muttered , obviously either having forgotten about the fact that this only applied to one of them or being unwilling to address them by their names.

What do _you_ need potions ingredients for anyway? Severus hissed, still glaring after Fudge, his mood just having dropped even lower.

I'm not completely incapable of making a potion, you know? Lupin replied. Albus said you'd surely give me some of those claws, so would you? Please? They've run out of them in Hogsmeade, I've checked already.

  


Harry and Ron had taken to flight just in time; the two of them had left for the Quidditch field only a few minutes before Fudge had arrived. Ron had brought his broom and thanks to Lupin who had paid the Dursleys another visit Harry also had all his stuff by now so they had decided to train a little, just for fun. It was soon getting too hot though for playing and they spent the rest of their afternoon inside with Harry's other presents, especially Fred and George's latest inventions keeping them busy.

Anything we didn't try out yet? Ron asked while sitting back in one of the armchairs and marvelling at the red and purple speckles on his arms that were supposed to look like a highly contagious disease and should disappear again in half an hour.

Nope, don't think so. Harry replied.

Who gave that to you? Ron held up a book entitled 'Basic Knowledge In Advanced Potion Making' and gave him a questioning look. 

Harry grinned. Yeah, sure, as if he'd give me a present. No idea really, sort of lost track of who the presents are from. Hermione maybe.

Crappy present. Ron decided and let the book drop onto the floor again, picking up the next one. Ancient Legends of the Wizarding World? He read the title and shook his head. Another fairly crappy one. He said, picking up the next book. A Century in Quidditch. Finally a good one. He opened the book and took a quick look into it. Wow, that's really nice, lots of cool pictures and background info and everything. He muttered without looking up from the pages.

Harry felt tired. He hadn't slept too well the night before, being haunted by nightmares about being the only student in Snape's NEWT class and forgetting to bring the books he needed to his Potions NEWT exam. At least they had been normal nightmares, not weird read-Voldemort's-mind dreams. Harry heard the clock strike eight, yawned and stared at the floor for a few seconds, being convinced that eight o'clock was supposed to mean something to him but still trying to figure out exactly what it was.

He jumped to his feet. It's eight, I have to go to my Occlumency lesson.

Wow, that late already. Ron said. I'll have to leave now anyway, told my mum I'd be home by seven. He got to his feet as well and carefully placed the Quidditch book on the table.

You can borrow it if you want to. Harry said, gesturing at the book.

Nah, that's all right, you just got it today. Ron replied.

I won't have time to read it anyway, I should rather study that Potions book I suppose. Harry muttered. Just bring it back with you when you come for your next visit.

Sure, thanks. Ron smiled at him and picked up the book. Hope that'll be before the start of the term then.

I'll ask Dumbledore, I'm sure he won't mind.

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it.

Ice Lupus: Thank you! I'm really glad you liked the last chapter. And thank you for the 'well written' :)

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shadowycat: Thank you! So glad you liked it :) Thanks for the 'well written'; and for the sarcasm. I was born with that, makes me pretty unbearable at times (I've been told ;)

Athalia: Thank you! I'm glad you think I manage to keep him in character.

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zippy zany: Thank you! I'm glad you like Snape and McGonagall :) This story doesn't have any connection to 'Are We Negotiating?'

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AmZ: Thank you! I'm glad you like it :) I suppose which point of view is more interesting might depend on the reader's age as well; I for one definitely prefer writing from Severus' perspective although I have to switch to Harry's from time to time to make this story work.


	9. Jailbreak

Jailbreak

It was close to ten in the evening already when Severus knocked on the door leading to McGonagall's quarters.

"Come to pay me my winnings?" She asked as soon as she had opened the door.

"Yes, at least if you'd be willing to accept a down payment of about five Sickles; I'm afraid that's all I have with me right now."

"I'll rather wait until you're able to pay a at least a full Galleon." She replied with a smile. "So what did you actually come to me for?"

"_Actually_ I came here to ask you if you would mind exchanging your Tuesday afternoon class for Trelawney's Friday morning."

McGonagall just gave him a questioning look in return.

"I won't even attempt to explain it because it's really complicated, I have to admit I don't understand it myself anymore, but if you would do that then I would somehow get a Monday afternoon instead of a Tuesday morning." Severus added.

"As long as you are sure that it's going to work out that's fine with me." McGonagall replied. "I just wonder why we spend hours discussing over a schedule just to knock everything over again a few days later."

Severus shrugged his shoulders. "Someone seems to have changed his mind."

"Someone always does, each and every year; and it's never me."

"I didn't start it either." He said. "I'm just taking advantage of it."

"Well, as I said, for all I care do what you want but just make sure it works out. I never again want to spend the first day of term trying to figure out what to do with my second years and my sixth years in the same classroom at the same time."

Severus had to smile at that; she had been really annoyed that day. And he had been more than happy that he hadn't been responsible for that glorious mess of a class schedule. "No need to worry, as far as I know someone has worked out a perfect plan, although I have no idea who that someone is." He said and slowly took a step backwards. "Just one more question before I leave: You don't happen to know what exactly Fudge was doing here?"

"He came here to have a talk with the headmaster about the new situation and what influence it would have on the school." McGonagall replied curtly. "Although the situation isn't really as new to us as it is to him."

Severus frowned at her. "If you don't want to give me a straight answer, just tell me it's none of my business."

"I just gave you a straight answer."

"And why do they have to spend two hours walking about the castle if they just want to have a little chat?" Severus inquired.

"I suppose the Minister wanted to get an impression of the security measures in the school." McGonagall replied and sighed at his skeptical expression. "Severus, all I know is that they wanted to discuss the realisation of the new Ministry security guidelines, so if that's not a satisfactory answer to you I suppose you will have to ask the headmaster himself. But please keep in mind that your dislike for Fudge is not reason enough to suspect him of anything."

"What sort of security guidelines?"

"Oh, the Ministry sent us a five foot parchment with recommendations on how to guarantee our students' safety during the term, inside and outside of the castle." McGonagall replied, sounding not very delighted about it. "As if _we _needed _their_ advice."

"It can't get worse than Umbridge, can it?" Severus said.

"Didn't I once or twice hear you say that you liked her?" She asked.

"What you probably heard me say was that I liked her way of dealing with Potter's insolent behaviour and that I personally found it pretty, well, _amusing_ to watch her desperate attempts to gain control over anything or anyone in this school."

"Yes, yes, that must have been it." McGonagall said and smiled at him. "Wouldn't you like to come in for a cup of tea rather than standing in the doorway?"

"Thank you, but I think I've taken up enough of your time already." Severus replied. "And I'll have to take care of rearranging my class schedule now." He gave her a courteous smile and indicated a bow before he said "Good night.", turned around and vanished down the corridor.

Only three days later he was summoned again. It was past midnight already and the Dark Lord's call had woken him from his sleep. Had it been anything else that had pulled him out of his nightmares he would have been thankful but like this he knew that reality could be even worse than the memories that were haunting him night after night. He got out of his bed, put on some clothes and only a few minutes later he was on his way out of the castle to go where ever his master wanted him to be tonight.

Severus soon found out that it was somewhere he hadn't been in quite a long time, not for at least fifteen years. And where he hadn't really wanted to ever be again. The Dark Lord had often gathered his servants here before his downfall but not once since his return over a year ago. Still, nothing had changed here, and nothing ever would. This place had been touched by an Evil strong enough to steal all life from it and never again would birds be populating these dying trees that surrounded the lonely graveyard or would any other sign of life be seen here. Definitely not by a Muggle anyway; for decades none of them had come here to keep company with the forgotten souls buried in the misty shadows of the old church. It really was a place that suited the Dark Lord perfectly.

Not too far away he saw someone else apparating and hurrying through the undergrowth towards the church, realised he had been lingering on the spot for a little too long already and set into motion. He was convinced most of the others were here already, after all they only had to get out of bed in the middle of the night whereas he had to take quite a walk through the castle and across the grounds before he could disapparate.

The Dark Lord definitely was here already, waiting for his Death Eaters. Severus could sense his master's presence, sense that nameless evil that surrounded the Dark Lord. It was an ancient evil, older than time itself, and it made his master so much more than just a vicious dark wizard; and everyone who had ever looked into the Dark Lord's eyes knew that.

It was completely silent inside the old church and he could hear nothing but the echo of his own footsteps. Severus strode across the hall, staring at the ground and looking neither left nor right. He didn't have to look to know that he had just walked by the spot where Mackenzie Callahan had died. That had been so many years ago already, Mac couldn't have been older than eighteen or nineteen, even younger than he himself at that time. Severus still remembered that night very well. He had always known that he had been responsible for his death; he had made a mistake and Callahan had paid for it. He also remembered well how he himself had spent a few hours lying on the ground below the altar, writhing with pain and spitting blood, but nonetheless, he knew he had gotten off lightly; the Dark Lord could just as well have killed him that night.

As soon as he had reached the chancel at the other end of the building he came to a halt, took a deep breath and stepped through the moth-eaten crimson velvet curtains in the corner behind which lay a small staircase leading down into the underground. The further he descended down the stairs the more tangible the unnatural cold surrounding him became and when he had reached the catacombs at the end of the staircase nothing could have convinced him that there still was a warm summer night only a few feet above him. Severus followed a long dark corridor until he reached the large underground hall where the others had gathered in front of their master already.

"Now that everyone is finally here." Voldemort whispered in an icy voice and turned around to face his servants as soon as Severus had taken his place amongst his fellow Death Eaters. The few torches on the wall barely illuminated the room and flickered anxiously as if considering to yield to the relentless darkness that surrounded them. "It is time for those loyal Death Eaters who have lost their freedom in battle to return to our midst." Voldemort continued and a barely audible murmur arose from his audience. "Silence." He said softly; everyone obeyed immediately. "Azkaban is not the place you used to know anymore. The Dementors have abandoned the Ministry and left Azkaban, they are no longer a threat to us. I have been informed that all they have left to guard their prisoners are a few Aurors and they will not be able to stand in our way."

His words were followed by an anxious silence. Of course nobody would have dared to express only the shadow of a doubt, but things hadn't been quite the same ever since what had happened in the Ministry. Nonetheless, it would take a little more to make Voldemort's servants lose their faith and loyalty, not least because it was a loyalty born out of fear.

"Severus, come here." Voldemort said quietly, suddenly looking straight at him.

_Me? What an honour, Bellatrix seems to have finally fallen from grace. _He stepped forward and fell to his knees in front of the tall dark-cloaked wizard.

"I will entrust you with selecting those you think most suitable for this task. Bellatrix will await you there and she will be in command from then on."

_So Bella's still her master's pet. _"As you wish, my Lord." Severus whispered and decided not to ask if the island of Azkaban was protected to keep them from apparating there - maybe, although he truly doubted that, the Dark Lord had simply left that point out of consideration and their plan would fail even without his help.

Severus had tried his utmost to compile a group of the most untalented, daft and dull Death Eaters he could think of and he had definitely managed to. Nonetheless, it hadn't done harm. The whole affair had taken no longer than fifteen minutes and he was pretty sure Bellatrix would even have succeeded if she had shown up there with an army of house elves following her instead of those Death Eaters.

The Minister might or might not have taken Dumbledore's suggestion to heart but if he had done something, it hadn't been enough. He had probably been too busy making up and distributing new guidelines to have left any time for first minding his own security problems. Severus had his doubts that Fudge had even taken the headmaster seriously. Well, he had paid the price for it now. Or rather, those poor guys guarding Azkaban had. It had been easy, way easier than any of them had expected. They had outnumbered the guards two to one which wouldn't even have been necessary regarding the fact that there was merely one Auror present, backed up by a few desk jockeys and young would-be Aurors; young enough for Severus to remember having taught them. He just hoped nobody had been killed. He had heard the killing curse uttered twice, both times coming from their side; the Ministry wizards obviously still kept to their laws. One of the curses had missed, he didn't know about the other one.

His arm still hurt like hell when he walked back up to the castle. He had been hit by a well aimed curse that had thrown his wand out of his hand and in addition to that probably broken his wrist. At least he had managed to get his wand back, it would have meant quite a lot of trouble if he had lost it there. It was raining again, that sort of rain that got everyone soaked to the skin who only dared to think about going outside. At least things probably couldn't get worse now, unless the rain would turn into a thunderstorm within the next five minutes and he would get struck by lightning.

Macnair and Avery were still securely locked up but the rest of them were at large again and had already returned to their master, including his dear old friend Lucius. And that was definitely something worth worrying about. But probably still not worth waking everyone at this ungodly hour, they would be able to learn more from the newspaper than he could have told them anyway.

He went in through a side entrance, closed the door behind him as quietly as possible and headed straight for his office; he didn't want to go up to the infirmary and decided that in case he wouldn't manage to get his bones back together the way they belonged he could still go there in the morning.

Severus had fallen asleep in an armchair in his office just seconds after sitting down and woke up again only two hours later to discover that his arm was hurting worse than before so that he would have no other choice than to see the mediwitch about it. It was pretty early in the morning and the castle still seemed to be sleeping but that would definitely change within the next hour. He reached the infirmary without meeting anyone on his way, Madam Pomfrey scolded him for not coming to her straight away, told him he should know better by now and half an hour later sent him on his way again with a bandage around his wrist and hand which he would have to wear for the next twenty-four hours.

He still felt tired but rather than going back to sleep he went to the Great Hall for breakfast an hour later. The other staff members were there already, most of them had chosen to spend the rest of their holidays at Hogwarts to help setting up the new protection charms and whatever else the Ministry regarded as necessary. Even Potter was there, the only one missing was Dumbledore.

"Where's the headmaster?" Severus asked as he took his seat next to McGonagall.

"A good morning to you, too." She replied, folded up her copy of the Daily Prophet and placed it on the table. "He's in his office, speaking to the Minister. I suppose you're not interested in the newspaper?"

"Not too much." He muttered, leaned back in his chair and concentrated on keeping his eyes from falling closed. "Any casualties?"

"Luckily not." McGonagall said, leaned across the table and poured him a cup of coffee. "Two in St. Mungo's, nothing too serious though."

"Good." Severus said softly, reached out for his cup, pulled back his right hand again as soon as he remembered that it was pretty useless at the moment and used his left hand instead.

"Broke your hand?" McGonagall asked.

"Yes. Fudge once again took a little too much time before deciding to come crawling back to us, didn't he?"

McGonagall didn't say anything about that, everyone knew what she thought about the Minister by now. "Albus will probably have to attend a conference of the British Wizards Security Council next week."

"They should concentrate on doing something rather than wasting their time holding meetings." Severus muttered.

"We all feel like that but right now we have to concentrate on working together, we can't afford arguing all the time."

"When divided we stand, united we fall?" Severus said.

"Exactly. And speaking about it, Albus mentioned that he had been thinking about asking Remus to help the students with their Defense Against the Dark Arts training. He will probably suggest that in our next staff meeting."

He sighed inaudibly. Dumbledore never suggested vague ideas that he had just been thinking about. Now that he had told McGonagall about it Severus was pretty sure that the headmaster had already made up his mind about this matter.

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading. 

sara: Thank you. I'm really glad you liked it!

shadowycat: Thank you. Yes, I thought it was about time I started to work on something like a plot ;) Interesting issue about Lupin and Potions, for some reason I usually assumed him to be completely incompetent there as well, without any reason at all really... I don't have a beta at the moment (anyone interested? ;) so I usually just read it myself a few times before I upload it, if I have the time...

Alexandrus W. Pendragon: Thank you. Yes, I have something like a plan, I hope... ;)

Corgi: Thank you. I'm glad you liked it :) lol the victory dance ;)

greengirlblue: Thank you. I'm glad you liked it and that you think they're still in character :)

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sparkle-2oo3: Thank you. I'm glad you liked it :) Thank you for the 2nd review, got the first one mailed to me although it never showed up here...


	10. New Teacher

New Teacher

The next week came, Dumbledore announced that Lupin was definitely going to be in the school at least once a week during the next term to help Potter and his friends with their Defense Against the Dark Arts training, Weasley was allowed to come back to keep Potter company and the weather became even warmer. All in all, Severus wasn't too happy.

The headmaster had spent most of his time during the last few days at those meetings in the Ministry and had returned to the castle only late at night, leaving McGonagall in charge during the day. Today though McGonagall had left to visit her niece's family so she had delegated this task to Professor Sprout. One more thing that didn't really make him happy. Severus wasn't too keen on playing headmaster for a day, he probably would have declined if she'd asked him anyway. Nonetheless, it definitely bothered him that nobody seemed to have even thought of him. Sprout. In his opinion they could just as well have left Trelawney in charge; she would definitely have driven away anyone knocking on the door with one of her death-and-disaster-predictions.

  


It was early in the afternoon and Severus was standing in front of the notice board in the Entrance Hall, thoughtfully studying the parchment McGonagall had put up there last night. It contained more or less all of the Ministry's suggestions and guidelines for the school, summed up in eight short new rules that should be easy enough for all of the students to understand and to follow. All but Potter and his friends, probably.

Students are not allowed on the castle grounds without supervision. Severus read to himself and scowled; that sounded like an awful lot of extra hours with those little brats. For a moment he was tempted to add a rule number nine that didn't allow any students in the dungeons outside of classes; actually barely anyone ever went down there if they didn't have to, not even the other staff members. But lately he had met Potter prowling the corridors there just a little too often; either the boy was really bored or he simply had fun annoying him with his presence.

Severus heard footsteps and turned around to see Professor Sprout hurrying across the hall, not even looking at him. Since he had just been about to return to the seclusion of his dungeons anyway he didn't really mind that, but when he saw Sprout open one of the large wooden entrance doors, his curiosity got the better of him and he decided to stay a moment longer to find out who the visitor to the castle might be.

From where he was standing he could neither see nor hear whoever might be on the other side of that door, all he could hear was Sprout's part of the conversation. But that was already enough to make him smile for he found it proved clearly that she wasn't quite suitable for the job of deputy deputy headmistress, or whatever this position might be called. He took a few steps towards the doors to see who it actually was Sprout was trying to get rid off and caught a glimpse of a short plump lady standing on the front porch. She had short, curly white hair, a kind face and bright blue eyes - all in all she bore a striking resemblance to the friendly granny pictured on the wrapping of Ada Attinghurst's Apple Pie. He wondered whether that apple pie was still being sold when Professor Sprout suddenly seemed to have noticed his presence and addressed him.

Have you been informed about the arrival of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor? She asked.

No. I'm not in charge here and therefore I'm not the one who'd be informed. He replied and the apple pie lady used the distraction to force her way past Sprout and into the castle. For a second he considered drawing his wand and casting at least a _Petrificus Totalus_ at her; then again, to welcome a guest to the castle like that would definitely have contradicted his good manners.

She dropped the bags she'd been carrying with her to the ground, sighed and looked around. Ah yes, it feels good to be here again, it's definitely been a while. She said, turned around and smiled at Severus who was still standing a few steps away from her, eyeing her suspiciously. 

Eliza Dobberstein. She introduced herself. And you must be Severus. She held out her hand to him but he just stood motionless with his arms folded. You don't mind me calling you by your first name, do you? We're colleagues now, after all. She added, still smiling kindly.

As a matter of fact, yes, I do mind. He replied. May I ask what exactly you mean by _colleagues_?

Oh, well, I suppose we'll get to know each other better sooner or later. In the meantime, would you do me a favour and take my bags up to my quarters?

For a moment her reaction left him in blank astonishment - it didn't happen too often that someone ignored what he was saying so obviously. Astonishment quickly turned into anger and he began to regret _not_ having cursed her as soon as she had set foot into the castle. Excuse me, but I don't think we've settled the question about the reason for your visit yet.

Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'm the teacher for the next term. She replied. Minerva sent me an owl just yesterday, asking me if I'd be interested. So could you tell her that I've arrived, please?

I'm afraid she's not here right now, but she should be back in a few hours. Professor Sprout began to speak again. I don't know where you were meant to stay so I'll take you to some unoccupied rooms on the second floor for now.

Severus stared at Sprout blankly for a moment. Are you planning to assign rooms to every utter stranger showing up on the doorstep today? Don't you think you should at least-"

Always on alert, just like Minerva told me about you. Eliza Dobberstein interrupted him. But don't worry, I doubt that there'll be a lot more people coming here today claiming to be new teachers. Having said this she set off across the hall towards the staircase. The bags. Would you, please? She said once again without even looking back.

I'm not a house elf... Severus muttered.

Oh, these would be much too heavy for such a little creature to carry. The old lady replied as she started climbing the stairs, followed by Professor Sprout.

Severus snorted angrily and grabbed one of the bags. Of course, why let a house elf do the job when you can also get a highly qualified Potions Professor. He muttered under his breath, picked up the second bag and then let both of them drop to the ground again. I'm a wizard after all. He said, pulled out his wand and charmed the bags to follow him as he walked up the stairs.

  


The new Professor only took a quick look around her quarters before she thanked Professor Sprout and told her she didn't want to take up any more of her valuable time. Severus didn't think his time was too valuable to spend it keeping an eye on their guest, so when Sprout left he remained standing in the corridor, watching the door. He didn't even have time to start feeling bored because the door opened again only a few minutes later and Eliza Dobberstein stepped outside.

I'll be going to the staff room now to make myself familiar with the syllabus while I'm waiting for Minerva to return. She explained as she strode past him. It might be more comfortable for you to watch over me there as well.

Severus was a little surprised by the fact that she didn't seem to be offended by his behaviour. Not that he would have cared; if he had been in charge, that nice old lady would still be standing in front of the castle in the blistering heat. Even more so after he'd read rule number seven: All visitors to Hogwarts must be announced at least three hours prior to arrival and have to agree to submit to a search before entering the castle. But now that she was already here, all he could do was to follow her around.

  


McGonagall returned two hours later and stormed straight into the staff room to welcome the new teacher to the school. Severus had grown tired of just sitting there and staring an hour earlier and had started writing down some questions for the test he usually made his fifth years write in their first lesson; by now he had reached question twenty-five and found it terribly hard to concentrate while trying to ignore the chatter of the two witches.

I honestly didn't expect you to just come here right away. McGonagall said, pouring herself a cup of tea.

Never put off till tomorrow what may be done today. Dobberstein replied. There really was no reason to waste time by sending owls back and forth, was there?

Severus shook his head and concentrated on his question twenty-five again. He thought about just getting up and leaving, his job here was done after all. Then again, he wondered whether McGonagall might notice his presence sooner or later; he had to admit he didn't really like being neglected like this.

So you met Severus already? He pricked up his ears again when his name was mentioned.

Oh, yes, we met. I have to admit he made a bit of an unfriendly impression at first sight but I'm convinced our relationship is going to improve as soon as we get to know each other a little better. Dobberstein said and took another sip from her teacup.

Severus dropped his quill and looked up. Excuse me, you _are_ aware of the fact that I'm actually in the room? He asked.

You know what they say, his bark is worse than his bite. McGonagall replied, not paying any attention to him.

_Fine. So you simply don't care. _Well, I have better things to do than sitting in on your little hen party anyway. Severus muttered as he gathered his papers, jumped to his feet and headed for the door. Just before it fell closed behind him again he heard Dobberstein say A bit touchy, isn't he? He scowled and strode off along the corridor.

When he reached the stairs leading down into the Entrance Hall he spotted Potter and Weasley walking towards the front doors, dragging along their broomsticks. He took a deep breath and decided not to waste his time on them when suddenly new school rule number three sprang back to his mind.

Both boys stopped dead and slowly turned around. Yes sir? Ron said while Harry just greeted him with a loathing glare.

Where do you two think you're going? He asked softly.

Ron and Harry, standing right in front of the doors, exchanged questioning looks. Ron suggested the obvious, immediately regretted his tone and stared down at the floor for a moment.

Playing Quidditch. Harry said. As far as I know that's allowed, isn't it?

Severus didn't miss the spiteful undertone in Potter's voice but he wasn't going to say anything about that; he had told Potter to mind his manners when speaking to him more than once already and not allowing them to go outside to play Quidditch was a lot better anyway.

He smirked. Then I suppose you're not yet familiar with the new rules.

What new rules? Harry asked.

If you'd care to take a look at the notice board on the wall to your right? Number three might be of interest to you. Severus replied and slowly walked down the stairs while Ron went over to the notice board, dragging Harry along.

But the term hasn't even started yet! Harry said after having read the parchment, turning back to Snape.

Rules are rules, Mr. Potter. He said softly and slowly walked towards the two boys.

But we were going to stay right outside the doors anyway. Harry said.

You will stay right _inside_ the doors now.

Harry glared at him for a moment. I'll go and ask Professor McGonagall.

There's no need to bother her with that.

You can't tell me what to do in my holidays! Harry barked.

Don't you talk back to me, Potter. Severus hissed in return and Ron instinctively took a careful step backwards. I'm responsible for you, as much as I wish it was different. And therefore I have every right to tell you what to do, am I understood?

I can look after myself, and _you_ are definitely the last person- Harry stopped talking abruptly, shook his head and turned away to head for the doors again. Come on, Ron, we're going.

Ron didn't move but Snape pulled out his wand, waved it at the wooden double doors and some heavy iron chains started wrapping themselves around the door handles. You will follow the rules, Potter, just like everyone else in this castle. Severus said softly. And I will not allow you to follow the example of your dear godfather and get yourself killed just because you're too stubborn to once in your life do as you're told.

Harry slowly turned back around and shot him a venomous glare. How dare you to talk about Sirius like that. He hissed. We both know who's responsible for that!

Yes, we do, don't we, Potter? Severus whispered.

Ron reached out and took Harry by his arm. Come on, leave it at that. He said softly.

No, Ron, I've been waiting for this way too long. Harry replied. It's his fault that Sirius died.

Black's incurable recklessness is what got him killed! Severus said. I told him to stay behind, but he wouldn't listen, of course not. The great Sirius Black would never have considered it necessary to listen to someone like me so he ran straight into a pointless death.

That's not true! You're just jealous because you're nothing like him! He wasn't a coward, he wasn't afraid of dying!

_You call me a coward? What gives you the right? You know nothing about me, nothing at all. _Severus sneered at him. I'm not scared of dying, Potter. But unlike him, I just don't want to.

For a moment there was a tense silence while Harry glared at him out of narrowed eyes. So _that's _it. He said, dangerously calm. Sirius died in battle, with honour and pride. And that's something you'll never achieve because you're going to die crawling at Voldemort's feet, begging for mercy.

Severus watched Ron attempting to take another step away from them and tugging at Harry's sleeve to make him follow; when he didn't, the young Gryffindor remained standing bravely by his friend's side. But while Weasley was clearly expecting him to explode any moment, Potter just stood there, holding his gaze. _If you knew how right you are, Potter. I swore to myself that I'd never allow him to be my master again, that I'd never kneel to him again. But now I have to. _He had to admit that Potter had struck a nerve. But he would keep himself under control. He had lost his temper in Potter's presence before, he wouldn't let it happen again.

Slowly Severus made another step towards him to stand right in front of him, close enough to make every halfway sensible person consider taking flight. Keep away from me if you know what's best for you, Potter. He hissed, whirled around and strode across the hall, back to his dungeons where the rest of the world would hopefully leave him alone for a while.

  


Severus slammed the door shut behind him and leaned back against the wall. He felt his heart pounding, and when he closed his eyes he had to take a deep breath of the familiar cool air to make the images of all sorts of cruel and violent actions he wanted to perform on Potter right now go away again. No, self control had definitely never been one of his natural talents, it was one of the things he had had to learn the hard way.

Although he found it pretty absurd himself, returning to the dark and lonely dungeons always managed to soothe his mind again, whether he just came back from a Death Eater gathering or from a lesson that had once again made him seriously doubt his qualifications to teach anyone anything at all. McGonagall had once told him that he was just hiding down here in order to avoid confrontation; Severus had only sneered at her in return and told her that he wasn't all that impressed with her abilities as a part-time psychologist. To him the reason he felt most comfortable down here was pretty obvious: he'd simply gotten used to it. After all he'd spent most of his childhood in the dungeons of Snape Manor and old habits didn't die easily.

He opened his eyes again when he heard a soft rattling sound echoing along the corridor and cursed the poltergeist daring to haunt his dungeons. Yes, these were _his_ dungeons; nobody else would have wanted them anyway. Severus set off down the stone stairs and along the narrow corridor leading to his office, the flames of the torches flickering as he passed by. Once he'd reached his destination he pulled out his wand again and muttered the three different spells needed to unlock the heavy wooden door. 

Paranoid. That's what McGonagall called it. A tiny bit paranoid, to be precise. Severus was quite glad she didn't know about the charms he put on the doors to his private rooms; he wasn't too keen on hearing her opinion about that. The lock sprung open, he took a step forward and suddenly whirled around again to peer into the darkness. He could have sworn he'd seen a shadow creeping along the walls, but there was nothing there.

_Of course not. _He stepped into his office and closed the door behind him. _Maybe she's right, maybe I'm really paranoid._

Severus sat down at his desk and reached out for an old dusty book lying on the table just to make sure its spine would be placed exactly in line with the desk edge. Next he carefully changed the position of a bottle of ink half an inch to the left and began straightening out the old quill that had been lying next to it.

He couldn't get Potter out of his head. How dare that little brat call him a coward? What on earth could make that boy believe he had a right to judge him? Severus was used to being judged by others even though they didn't know him; well, actually barely anyone knew him. But he wouldn't allow that stuck-up arrogant teenage boy to behave like that towards him again. Potter was going to show some respect towards him.

He got up from his chair, slowly walked across the room and stood in front of one of the shelves, searching through the books. Finally, having found what he'd been looking for, he pulled out a small book with a faded crimson cover, took the bottle of Scotch from the shelf and continued on his way to the adjoining room. With a wave of his hand he made the the flames of the candles in his office go out - it was the most impressive piece of wandless magic he could muster, aside from a quite unreliable _Accio_ spell; not much, but pretty convenient. He closed the door behind him and sat down on the dark green sofa. He wouldn't go to dinner today. With Dumbledore gone and McGonagall so well-entertained by the new teacher he doubted anyone would notice; and even if someone came looking for him, with his office lying in darkness nobody would suspect him being here.

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AN: Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, let me know, I'd really appreciate it :) I'm sorry it took me so long to update; I have my exams coming up in two weeks so unfortunately I'm not having much time for writing and most probably won't be able to update again before 3-4 weeks.

shadowycat & Tim H. Smith: Thank you so much for your help :)

Phoenix of the Stars: Thank you! I'm really glad you liked it this far, enough even to read it all in one sitting :) I hope you'll keep enjoying it.

LadyJavert: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it :) I definitely enjoy writing Snape and McGonagall so I'm glad you find them entertaining ;)

AmZ: Thank you. I do hope I'll manage to keep it interesting for you. Btw, I only like what I'm writing while I'm writing it, I don't like it anymore once it's finished; I'm glad I have readers who do like it. As for the tie, I already mentioned that it's a true story, didn't I? Unfortunately we couldn't transfigure one, so we had to get one from the caretaker ;)

greengirlblue: Thank you! I'm very glad you liked it :) I'll try to keep an eye on those sentences.

Athalia: Thank you! I'm really glad to hear you liked it. Thank you so much for your other reviews as well, I really appreciate it :)

Corgi1: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it, I hope you liked this one as well.

Mikee: Thank you! I'm very glad you liked it! I probably won't be writing about Dumbledore teaching Harry, I'm not really good at writing Dumbledore. There might be some more about Occlumency though.

Athena Keating-Thomas: Thank you! :) I'm really glad you liked it! I feel the same way about Snape in the books, there are quite a lot of things I want to know since GoF that still haven't been answered... Thank you so much for your other reviews as well, I really appreciate it.

BurningTyger: Thank you! I'm glad to hear you liked it, I hope you'll keep reading & liking it. Thank you for the 'great characterizations' :)


	11. Snape's Lesson

AN: New chapter, finally. Sorry that this has taken me so very long but I've been extremely busy lately. I really hope I haven't lost all my readers by now and that you enjoy this chapter.

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Snape's Lesson

There were only six days left until the start of the next term and Severus felt in desperate need of a full night's sleep. He had been summoned no less than three times this week for no apparent reason other than the Dark Lord was seeking the company of some of his faithful minions. Admittedly, he didn't have a lot of company lately: Malfoy and his fellow fugitives made themselves scarce, at least Severus hadn't seen one of them since the night of their jailbreak; they hadn't even been at the gatherings. Their pictures though had been all over the newspapers and their cold eyes could be found staring at every passer-by from various house walls in Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley and any other place in the wizarding world – by now there probably wasn't one witch or wizard not knowing who they were. Severus had to admit that he found the idea of Lucius having to hide from the rest of the world somehow amusing; Lucius had never known what it was like to have to run from the Aurors, the Ministry and basically everyone else. It might teach him a valuable lesson.

At least Severus himself had been forced to spend only his nights in dark hiding places, keeping his master company. And although he hadn't really enjoyed that, it still couldn't keep him from spending his days in mostly the same way, namely sitting around alone in his dark dungeons and brooding over what the Dark Lord might have in mind.

Some time in the early afternoon - more out of boredom than out of true interest - he had decided to go up to the Entrance Hall to take a closer look at those at least twenty pages of new Ministry guidelines. He really didn't care much about what Fudge had to say about this matter but sooner or later he'd have to read it so he could just as well do it now. First though he'd have to find it somewhere in that jumble of papers, parchments and leaflets.

"So you're still here after all."

"Where else would I be?" Severus muttered in reply to McGonagall's remark, searching through the papers on the table below the notice board and not even looking at her.

"I haven't laid eyes on you for three days in a row. I had begun to wonder if the prospect of having Mr. Potter in your NEWT class next term might have made you resign."

"I've been busy." He replied.

"I expected you for tea yesterday, you've never been too busy for that before."

"I'm sorry. I forgot." They always had tea together a week before the start of the term because it was the perfect time to begin their every year quarrel over which house would win the Quidditch matches and the House Cup. And because it usually was the time when the teachers returned to the school after the holidays. He had never forgotten about that before. "Where are the Ministry guidelines..." He muttered more to himself than to her and tossed some folders back onto the table.

McGonagall took him by his arm, gently pushed him aside and pulled a few papers out of a pile in the far left corner of the table. "There." She said and handed them to him. "You're under a little too much stress lately."

"Oh, am I?" He muttered while starting to read through the first paragraph of what Fudge had come up with this time.

"What about tonight after dinner?"

Severus looked up from the paper with a questioning expression on his face. "I'm sorry?"

"A cup of tea, tonight after dinner."

"Yes, of course." He replied softly and smiled at her.

"Good." McGonagall smiled back at him before she turned away and continued on her way to her office.

Severus had had his doubts if he'd actually be able to keep that appointment and he was proven right once again. He had chosen not to attend dinner and when he felt the Dark Mark burning again he was quite glad about his decision - he couldn't stand the looks they all gave him when he got up and left in the middle of a meal or a staff meeting. Most of them didn't know the reason why his behaviour had changed from a little peculiar to truly strange during the last year; still they all knew enough about him to at least suspect what was going on. And when they looked at him whenever he had to leave so suddenly, he could see something like a sudden apprehension in their expressions, as if they'd actually forgotten about what he was, or had been, and had suddenly been reminded of it once again.

This night that he spent with the Dark Lord and his loyal followers wasn't too different from the nights before; aside from the fact that his master was in an extraordinarily evil mood. Once again Severus returned to the castle just about as the new day was dawning. This time though he didn't go back to his rooms straight away but headed for Dumbledore's office after learning from one of the house elves that he was already there; or maybe was still there. He didn't have anything interesting for the headmaster but he felt the need to report at least that much to him; after all he didn't want to make him start wondering about what his loyal spy was actually doing outside of the castle night after night.

The headmaster patiently listened to him telling him basically nothing at all, tried to talk him into having a cup of tea and asked him if he was all right no less than three times. Severus said he was. After all these years he still didn't trust that caring and concerned look and he was pretty sure that what was really going on in Dumbledore's head would always remain a secret to him.

Severus had deliberately left out the little detail that the Dark Lord had felt the desire to find out just how long he could endure the _Cruciatus without starting to scream; he had known what he was in for when he had agreed to become Dumbledore's spy and he definitely wouldn't come to him and start whining about it now. Luckily his master had at least quickly lost interest in his torturing activities as soon as he'd been informed about the arrival of one of his Death Eaters who he'd obviously been waiting for. Severus was pretty sure he might have died before actually making a sound. He'd learned to endure it quietly. Although he couldn't deny that he'd felt pretty much like wanting to die once the Dark Lord had been finished with him; but since that was nothing too unusual even he himself couldn't take his death wishes very seriously anymore. So instead of paying a lot of attention to how he felt he'd simply remained lying on the ground, hoping to be able to catch something that might be of interest._

He'd definitely been surprised to see that the man the Dark Lord had been waiting for was none other than Zodec Thesdale, his young and hopefully only spy in the Ministry. Severus couldn't remember ever before having seen him talking to their master directly. Under normal circumstances someone like Thesdale wasn't worth the Dark Lord's time. Unfortunately Severus hadn't been able to hear what they had to talk about and thus to find out what made this situation different from normal circumstances. So again, nothing to report to the headmaster aside from the fact that something might be going on and Thesdale might have something to do with it, whatever it was.

Dumbledore held him back just as he was about to get up and leave the office again.

"Severus, can I ask you a favour?"

"Of course."

Dumbledore smiled at him. "I'm not telling you to do something, I'm asking you."

Severus nodded, not meaning it. To him it didn't make a difference if the headmaster asked him or ordered him, he'd do it either way.

"My request concerns Mr. Potter and his Occlumency lessons."

_Anything but that; I have nothing to do with that anymore._

"I know what you're thinking." Dumbledore said.

"You do?"

"More often than you believe I do." He stood up and walked over to the window to watch the early morning sun colouring the sky in a warm orange. "As you know I've been training with Harry for weeks now, every day, and I'm glad that he already achieved a great success. As a matter of fact, I don't think that there's anything else I could teach him."

_Well, congratulations, you definitely achieved what I wouldn't have thought possible._

"That's where I need you."

Severus raised an eyebrow and gave him a questioning look. "You're much more powerful than I am."

"Power isn't the only thing that counts." The headmaster said softly. "You know very well for yourself what a difference it makes _who_ performs the _Legilimens _spell on you. Harry so far only trained how to block me from invading his mind but..."

_But we haven't yet tried it with someone he hates from the depth of his heart. Any volunteers? Severus smiled weakly. __Yes, I suppose that would be me._

Dumbledore thoughtfully nodded to himself and turned back around. "That's why I have to ask you if you'd be willing to try it once more. Just once, that should be enough to find out how successful our training really was."

Severus hesitated. He didn't want to. All he wanted was to know that Potter was as far away from him as possible; which wasn't too easy to accomplish within the castle's walls anyway. He had enough things on his mind without that kid already - he didn't want to see him, talk to him or have anything to do with him. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to start telling Dumbledore all the reasons why he didn't want to do that.

"To me Potter never seemed like he cared much about it." He said instead after deciding to rather blame it on the boy.

"He does now."

"Better late than never." Severus muttered under his breath.

"You know you don't have to." The headmaster said calmly.

"Is there anyone else who could?"

"You know there isn't."

Dumbledore looked at him for a moment and Severus knew he wouldn't hold it against him if he refused to do it. "Fine. I'll do it." He said with a sigh. "Although I doubt that Mr. Potter will be very delighted to hear about this idea."

"He will understand that it's necessary, just like you do."

Yes, Severus definitely understood. He understood how important it was, not only to their cause; there were lives at stake here, not least of which was his own. Potter knew too much about him and Severus had his doubts that the Dark Lord would rather believe in what he was telling him than in what he might find and see for himself in Potter's mind.

First though Severus himself should get a chance to see what was going on in Potter's head. It was half past eight in the evening and he was sitting at his desk in his dimly lit office, staring intently into the depths of the Pensieve standing right in front of him. He'd been sitting there for quite a while already, like a hunter patiently waiting for the prey. And his prey would come walking straight into his office any second now. Tonight Potter would learn his lesson.

And it was about time. Potter Junior seemed to become more like his father every day and Severus would put a stop to this. At least before the little moron would start believing he could treat him like James had, before he'd start seeing him as just the harmless, worthless, slimy little oddball. Because he wasn't. He'd shown them all what he was actually capable of and how powerful he was. And they'd all been afraid of him. And so would the boy-who-lived.

Severus had taken his time on deciding which of his memories he didn't want him to see - and which he definitely wanted him to see. Actually he had no doubts that in spite of Dumbledore's efforts Potter still wouldn't be a match for him; but he always preferred to be on the safe side. 

Severus looked up when he heard a faint, careful knock on the open door.

"Come in, Potter." He said softly and watched Harry slowly entering the room and closing the door behind him. He was pleased to see that the cold and hateful look the boy had usually greeted him with lately had made way for a more subdued, maybe even anxious expression - Potter obviously still knew which one of them was in the stronger position here.

"Let us find out then if all the effort the headmaster put into teaching you was in vain." Severus said before the boy could even say a word, quickly stood up and drew his wand. The candles on the shelf behind him flickered and cast his black shadow over Harry. "Take out your wand, Potter."

Harry did as he was told, all the time keeping his eyes fixed on his teacher as he slowly walked around the table to stand directly in front of him. "Ready?"

Harry swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes."

"Very well then." Severus said softly. "Decide on something."

"Decide on what?"

"Potter, you _do know what you're here for, don't you?" Severus asked, giving him a scrutinizing look. "Decide on what you want to hide from me more than anything else."_

"Oh. Okay." Harry replied quickly. "Ready."

Severus took a deep breath. "_Legilimens_."

He tried to block all the uncontrolled emotions he was getting from Harry and rather focused on the images flashing in front of his eyes. The boy didn't concentrate, that much was obvious. He never seemed to be able to really keep his mind on what he was doing. Severus had already noticed that in his class and had always regarded it as one of Potter's major weaknesses; aside from things like his incurable stubbornness, his insolence and his arrogance.

The first thing Severus saw was Potter standing in a kitchen and being yelled at by a big man with a red face and small watery eyes whom he identified as the boy's uncle. It had to be a rather old memory, at least Potter looked even younger than when he had first come to Hogwarts.

The image was quickly replaced by other glimpses of Potter's not very interesting muggle upbringing; Potter sneaking through a sleeping house and being caught by his dull cousin, Potter sitting on the front porch in the pouring rain, Potter working in the garden. Awfully boring indeed.

Then a train station, Kings Cross. The Hogwarts Express. Potter with Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle in the Entrance Hall. You're dead, Potter.

Severus recognised the scene. It must have happened just a minute before he himself had entered the hall and stopped the whole incident. _Just in time, no doubt._

Potter in a dark side street surrounded by Dementors. More Dementors, on the grounds of Hogwarts this time. Potter together with the Weasley terror-twins. Potter sneaking along a dungeon corridor, shadows flickering on the wall next to him. _Prowling around my dungeons, are you? Suddenly the image was gone - Potter had actually managed to block him from seeing more._

For a split second Severus could see Potter with his godfather, both of them with pretty stupid grins on their faces. Then it was gone again, replaced by incoherent and meaningless pictures. Severus focused on Sirius Black, searching Potter's mind for anything about his godfather. He found nothing at all. Potter seemed to have learned his lesson. At least when it came to hiding his memories.

_My turn now. Severus concentrated on his own memories, on things he'd been hiding before and now wanted the little brat to see. He flooded Harry's mind with images from a past long gone that he himself would never forget about. Memories of how he just stood there and watched his fellow Death Eaters killing a few unsuspecting muggles. Just for fun. Just because they'd been bored. Memories of how he himself had tortured and killed at the Dark Lord's command. Images of darkness, blood and death._

Harry staggered backwards and Severus decided it was enough now so instead of giving him a chance to stumble into one of the shelves and break a few things he released him again. The boy just stood there, motionless and staring at him.

„It's fun rummaging around in someone else's memory, isn't it?" Severus said softly while putting his wand back beneath his cloak. „Did you enjoy yourself, Potter?"

Harry stared at him for a moment longer before he whirled around and ran out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Severus smiled coldly and slowly walked back to sit down at his desk again. This time he'd been prepared and he'd led Potter right to what he'd wanted him to see. He should have learned his lesson. And if he hadn't, he still had a lot more in store for him.

"What do you think you're doing!? For once in your life why can't you just... is there something wrong with your head or what!"

Severus only briefly looked up as the door to his office was thrown open and Lupin stormed inside. He had expected that someone would definitely want to have a word with him about this. But merely half an hour to listen to Potter whining and coming here, that was pretty fast indeed.

"What happened to your good manners, Lupin? Not even a knock on the door before you burst into my rooms and insult me?" He said softly and sent another playing card through the air just to watch it land on the floor at least a foot away from the cauldron he had aimed at. "However, in case you didn't notice, I'm busy."

"Busy?" Lupin asked, took a few more steps towards him, rested his hands on his desk and leaned across it. "You're flipping bloody cards into a cauldron!" He hissed in a strained voice, trying hard not to yell at him.

Severus sighed, reluctantly put the rest of the cards down onto his desk and leaned back in his chair. He folded his arms and looked up at his guest with an expression that couldn't have been more indifferent. "So what can I do for you?" He asked in a silky voice.

Lupin took a deep breath, trying to keep himself from losing his temper and doing something he might regret. Although he wasn't quite sure if he'd really regret it.

"Why can't you just leave Harry alone?" Lupin said. "I suppose bullying him around in class should be satisfying enough for you, shouldn't it? Is it because you just can't wait for the term to start again?"

_ "Are you standing in for Black as godfather now?"_

"Don't start that." Lupin muttered. "I'm sure that you're well aware of the fact that Harry's having quite a hard time at the moment. He's already blaming himself for what happened, he definitely doesn't need you to make things even worse by trying to scare the hell out of him."

"Actually at the moment he seems rather comfortable with blaming _me for his godfather's death. I'd definitely appreciate it if, for a change, he'd decide on the more reasonable approach of blaming himself."_

"You know that wouldn't be reasonable in the least. Couldn't you just start acting like an adult for a change and simply leave him be?"

"That's a matter between Potter and me, it doesn't concern you."

"It's a matter between you and James, not Harry!" Lupin replied, raising his voice again. "Just how much did you really hate James that after all these years, even though he's dead, you still feel the need to take it out on his son!"

"How much did I hate him?" Severus asked in a low voice. "Just as much as I hate you and Black. Just as much as anyone would hate someone who takes every chance to make your life hell."

"Won't you ever..." Lupin took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Listen: I'm not proud of the way we acted; but we were young, we were stupid, we were just kids."

"So was I." Severus whispered, stood up and strode past him towards the door, muttering "Excuse me now, I have work to do."

"Running away again, Severus? It's easier than discussing things, isn't it?"

_Just shut up, Lupin. Go and complain about me but just leave me alone now if you don't want to risk being cursed into oblivion._

Another half an hour later McGonagall found him in his classroom. Lupin obviously hadn't wasted any time telling on him.

"What are you doing there?" She asked casually and in a low voice as she entered the room.

Severus was a little surprised, he'd actually expected her to storm in here and shout at him. He added the thoroughly sliced roots to the potion simmering in the cauldron in front of him before he quickly let his left arm drop down again once he remembered that he was wearing only a short-sleeved shirt. It wouldn't have been necessary, not in front of McGonagall, but hiding the Dark Mark from curious eyes had grown into a habit.

"Working." He muttered without looking up from his cauldron.

"Why the gloves?" She asked.

"Aconitum solanum, a bit poisonous." Severus replied and took off the black leather gloves.

"Aren't those illegal? What do you need them for?"

"A poison. For my other boss."

McGonagall nodded and leaned back against one of the tables in the first row, watching him. "What was that with you and Potter about?" She asked.

Severus sighed inaudibly.

"That was more than unnecessary, you know?" She continued.  "Just what's going on in your head when you do something like that? Sometimes I really can't understand you."

_Sometimes? I think that's an understatement. He simply shrugged his shoulders, staring down into his cauldron although he already knew that nothing could save that potion anymore and that he'd have to do it again._

"I know you haven't had it easy lately so I'm going to blame it on that. I'm willing to forget about the whole incident but I expect you to gain some control over yourself again."

"It's not as if I enjoyed spending my evenings in Potter's company." He replied defiantly. "The headmaster asked me to, so I did it."

"Now I'm quite sure Albus didn't ask you to scare the living hell out of that boy."

"Oh please, he's not that sensitive."

"Well, if you tried to scare him, you definitely succeeded, that's all I'm saying. Congratulations on that."

"Good!" Severus snapped. "Maybe if he's afraid of me he'll show some respect at least."

"So that's your problem?"

"I don't have a bloody problem!" He barked, immediately regretting his tone.

McGonagall took a deep breath. "Listen, Severus: I have no idea what's wrong with you but I'm quite sure that neither Potter nor anyone else you've had it in for lately is responsible for it. We have six days left till the start of the term now so I'd suggest you'd better get a grip on yourself before then because if you continue to act like this I definitely won't set you on a classroom full of first years."

Severus was still busy glaring down into his cauldron.

"So how did it go?" McGonagall asked after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Potter actually did pretty well."

"How well is _pretty well?" She asked._

"Good enough to keep the Dark Lord out of his mind, I'd say. If only he'd concentrate on what he's doing."

"Some people find it hard to concentrate on anything while you're glaring at them."

"Do they?" Severus asked and looked up at her. "You might want to ask Potter about Draco Malfoy. It looks like Malfoy's seeking revenge. We'll have to keep an eye on that."

McGonagall nodded. "I'll ask him about it." She said and turned to leave. "Good night. And I mean that. Go to sleep." She added on her way out of the classroom.

"You finish that potion for me and I will..." Severus muttered to the now empty room and with a wave of his wand he made the contents of the cauldron disappear. He leaned back against the edge of his desk and rubbed his eyes. "Fine, I'm going to bed." He whispered to himself. "The Dark Lord will just have to wait till tomorrow. Or he'll have to kill me and find someone else to do my job."

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AN: Thank you to everyone for reading, I hope you liked it and if you did I'd really appreciate it if you'd take the time to leave me a review J Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed: Ice Lupus, Lilith11, Athalia, greengirlblue, Ronnie, Elendil Snape, Anna Mette, Alexandrus W. Pendragon, Enahma, Phoenix of the Stars and Luceid. I'm very glad you enjoyed the last chapter, please forgive me for not replying to your reviews this time but I'm using someone else's computer and Internet connection at the moment so unfortunately I don't have the time to. Thank you so much for your reviews!


	12. New Term

New Term

  


The following week was a good week; Severus had to admit that much despite his characteristic inclination to see only the negative side of things. He'd been summoned only once, and his master hadn't even killed him although he hadn't managed to complete the poison in time - in fact the Dark Lord hadn't seemed too interested in this matter anymore and couldn't have cared less. But more than that, Severus hadn't laid eyes on Potter even once since the evening the boy had stormed out of his office. And every day without Potter was destined to be a good day.

Tonight though he'd be seeing him again at the feast; him, his loyal sidekick Weasley, and Granger, the brains of the trio. And let's not forget Longbottom, the walking talking blueprint for disaster. It was just like Potter's father and his friends, and as their longstanding opponent: Draco Malfoy with his two dull bodyguards. Seeing those kids always reminded him too much of his own past although he truly hoped that he hadn't been a follower quite as brainlessly loyal to Malfoy Senior as Crabbe and Goyle were now to the younger Malfoy. Didn't they say that history would always repeat itself? He just wondered which one of Potter's friends would turn against him, which one of them would sell him for money, power or anything else the Dark Lord might have to offer. He had something to offer for everyone, and Severus was convinced that for the right price, everyone could be bought. Even those righteous Gryffindors.

He'd been too lost in thought to notice that it had already become too dark in here to read and only now closed his book and put it back onto the shelf above the dark fireplace. He had only twenty minutes till the arrival of the students anyway so it was about time for him to go up to the Great Hall. Severus strode across the room, put on one of his black cloaks and stepped out of the door. The moment the torches in the corridor ignited he saw movement on the floor as dozens of little creatures fled from the light. He'd already gotten used to them and didn't pay them a lot of attention anymore. At least it was only mice. Rats would have been much worse; due to Peter Pettigrew he'd developed a distinct aversion towards rats. He set off along the corridor and just around the next corner he came across another visitor to his dungeons, a gray tabby cat this time.

Minerva, pleased to see you. Severus greeted the cat. If you should have a few spare minutes you could take a look around here, the dungeons seem to be infested with mice once again.

The cat immediately transformed back into a witch throwing him a very stern look. I'm glad to see that you're finally your old snotty self again, she replied. And regarding the mice I suppose you should consider asking Mr. Filch for his assistance.

I already did but he couldn't seem to find the time to take care of this. Obviously he's pretty busy with all this new security... He waved a hand vaguely in the direction of the Entrance Hall. Well, he just had more important things to do lately.

McGonagall muttered and for a moment she stared past him into the darkness of the empty corridor. But I think we should be done with that now. Aside from the fact that we still haven't found a way for you to get back onto the castle grounds without triggering an alarm.

Severus snorted. Oh, don't even bother. I could camp out in the woods if that would make things easier.

I'll consider that, McGonagall replied. Ten minutes till the students will arrive. Actually I just wanted to ask you if you're going to show up for dinner.

Of course I will. I always do.

Good. Come on then. She started walking again, dragging him along. I just checked the first years list and came across a Victor Crabbe.

Another one for Slytherin, Severus replied. Vincent Crabbe's younger brother.

I thought so. You should keep an eye on him.

I'm keeping an eye on everyone in this castle.

Good to know. McGonagall gave him a pat on the shoulder and sent him on his way to the Great Hall on his own while she waited for the first years to arrive.

  


During dinner Severus was seated between Lupin and Dobberstein and not very happy about that because he didn't feel like talking to either of them. Unfortunately this didn't seem to be obvious enough - or more likely, Lupin simply didn't care.

A lot of Ravenclaws this year, don't you think? he said a few minutes after the sorting ceremony had ended. Together with Graysmark having to repeat the year there are nearly twice as many in Ravenclaw as in Slytherin.

_Why do you have to talk to me? I thought I had made my point clear enough so even you should understand that I simply want nothing to do with you unless absolutely necessary. _Severus curled his lip and glanced over at him. Why are you actually sitting there, Lupin? he asked. As far as I've been informed you're not employed as a teacher here.

Don't worry, you won't have to see me every day, Lupin replied. Maybe two or three days a week. Four at the most, he added and grinned upon seeing his colleague's expression darkening

Severus felt a lot like punching him in the face just to make that stupid grin disappear. After all the fuss he'd made about the little incident with Potter he'd hoped that Lupin would leave him alone for a while. Who did he just think he was to believe he could talk to him like that and now come crawling back again as if nothing had happened? The werewolf was lucky that he'd promised to pull himself together a little. Otherwise he might really have punched him.

  


For Severus the first day of the new term started with the questionable pleasure of meeting his new sixth year NEWT class for the first time. At least Potter and Granger were the only Gryffindors there. Because they'd been the only ones to get a good enough grade from him. He'd really wanted to get rid of Hermione Granger, that annoying little teacher's pet, and a mudblood on top of it.

Muggle-born. Old habits really seemed to die hard. Well, at least he didn't say that word aloud anymore. Mostly because McGonagall had assured him that she actually _did_ have the authority to make him polish every single goblet in the trophy room if she ever again heard him say , whether he meant it or not. To him personally the term had never meant anything special, it had always been quite a common word where he came from.

Unfortunately he hadn't been able to find a reason that could have justified giving Granger a grade worse than Potter's and now she was sitting there right next to her fellow Gryffindor. Aside from them there was one Ravenclaw, no Hufflepuffs but seven Slytherins. For understandable reasons Potions had always been quite popular among the Slytherins and for the sixth years it was the line of the least resistance on their way to a good final exam.

Severus had been standing motionless in front of his class with his arms folded for a few seconds before even Draco Malfoy stopped talking and gave him his undivided attention.

You all should be aware of what is expected from a student in a NEWT course so I'm not going to waste our time by telling you that from this day forth this class might actually ask some effort of you.

He decided to make his welcoming speech a little shorter than usual. Most of you I'd have expected to see here whereas some of you I'd have neither expected nor recommended to take this class. But you all shall get a chance to prove yourselves. Severus glanced over at Potter and Granger but they seemed to have expected that already and neither of them looked very impressed. Or maybe they both were still too much out of breath to care about his remark; they had obviously had to run all the way here from the large dungeon after finding out that their Potions classes would be held in one of the smaller rooms a floor below from now on. You're going to spend the following two hours in the library, doing research for your first essay which is due tomorrow. He walked around his desk, took a small stack of papers from the drawer and placed it on the table in front of him. These are the topics for your essays. Each of you step forward now, take one and then begin with your work, you're going to need the time.

When he looked up into the class again he saw that Hermione Granger had raised her hand and for a moment contemplated if he should simply ignore her. Miss Granger? A question? he finally asked instead.

Yes, Sir, she said and lowered her hand again. Tomorrow's Saturday. Do you want us to hand in the essay on the weekend?

That's what I just said, Severus replied. Feel free to hand it in today though if you should feel uncomfortable with that.

She didn't seem to have too much of a problem with it, at least she said nothing else. Some of the other students gave him a skeptical look but after a moment all of them began stuffing their books, parchments and quills back into their schoolbags and then walked up to his desk.

Malfoy was the first one to take a paper, Goyle and Crabbe right after him. Unlike them Draco remained standing next to the desk for a moment after he'd read it. 

Severus replied softly, watching the two Gryffindors instead of looking at him.

Are we all going to write about different topics then? Malfoy asked.

But we never had to do that before, Malfoy said.

The times they are changing, Mr. Malfoy, Severus muttered in reply and smiled faintly. Not at him, though, but to himself.

There were only two papers left on the table now as he watched Hermione Granger walking towards him, followed by Potter. So Potter would either have to write the essay about Jacinda Fotheringale's view on the wide range of use of coral snake skin or, should he choose to take the last one, about the invention of the Polyjuice Potion and the development of the legal provisions regarding its usage. Both equally boring and neither to be managed within a day, so this time even the little know-it-all Granger wouldn't be able to help him and he'd definitely get the failing grade he deserved.

He watched as Hermione took a paper and then as Harry picked up the last one.

Ah, the Polyjuice Potion, Severus said, glancing down at the paper over Harry's shoulder when he turned it around and read it. Quite a sophisticated topic, Mr. Potter, no doubt. But I'm sure that won't be a problem for you, will it?

No, Sir, Harry muttered, crumpled up the paper and stuffed it into his bag. It won't.

  


Severus was mildly surprised when Harry handed in his essay on time, but he was truly surprised when he read it the following day and had to find out that it actually wasn't nearly as bad as he'd expected. In fact it was pretty good; Potter seemed to have spent the last twenty-four hours in the library.

He stared down at the paper for a moment after he'd finished reading and then set it aside without marking it.

  


He had the next class with his sixth years on Monday before lunch. Malfoy and his two cronies were ten minutes late so Severus told them he'd appreciate it if they tried to make sure this wouldn't happen again. Then he spent two uneventful hours watching his students cutting up roots and preparing two dozen other ingredients that they then had to put into a jar together with what Draco Malfoy had called that slimy blue stuff over there.

The ingredients have to remain in there for at least forty-eight hours so write your name on your jar as soon as you're finished and put it on the shelf over there, he said and checked his watch. There were only a few minutes left till the end of the lesson so he returned to his desk, took the stack of papers and started walking through the rows to hand back the essays.

Crabbe, Goyle, good. Malfoy, very well done, he said and put their essays down on the desks in front of them. Parkinson, well done. All of the Slytherins got something like a _good _or a_ well done_ from him.

Once all of his house had their papers back he returned Padma Patil's to her without any comment and then stood in front of Hermione Granger, staring down at her essay for a moment. Miss Granger. He let the paper drop onto her desk. How fortunate Mrs Fotheringale has been dead since 1749 because had she read this essay it would definitely have killed her. Disappointing.

With that said he whirled around and returned to the blackboard. He started writing down five chapters in three different books he wanted his students to read for the next lesson, well aware of and completely ignoring the fact that Potter had raised his hand.

Yes, Potter? he snarled and reluctantly turned around, not really able to ignore him any longer.

Uhm, you forgot mine.

No, Mr. Potter, _you_ forgot yours, Severus replied calmly.

But I handed it in, I know that, Harry said, sounding a bit bewildered.

And I know that I never read it. So are you suggesting that I misplaced it or maybe that my memory is beginning to fail me?

No, Sir. I'm just saying that I handed it in, Harry said again. I gave it to a house elf in the staff room.

For a moment they stared at each other out of equally cold and loathing eyes and Severus had the impression that it had become completely silent around them while everyone was waiting for their next move.

Class dismissed, he said softly. Except for Mr. Potter who may use his lunch break to actually do the assignment.

He saw Potter hesitating, contemplating if he should pack his things and leave or if it was wiser to just swallow his pride, sit down and write his essay once more. Not-so-Gryffindorish rationality seemed to have won over Gryffindor pride, at least the boy slumped back down onto his chair while his classmates left the dungeon.

Severus took two of the heavy old books out of the shelf behind his desk and placed them on the table in front of Harry. Hand it in before sunset if you're interested in having a remote chance of _not_ receiving a failing grade.

Potter just stared down onto the blank piece of parchment in front of him and was obviously waiting for him to finally leave the room so he could get started with his essay. For a moment Severus contemplated staying here and watching him just to annoy him but quickly decided that it wouldn't be worth giving up his lunch break; at the moment he felt much too hungry for that.

Severus had almost forgotten about the whole issue when he was interrupted in searching through his desk drawers by a knock on his open office door early in the evening.

Office hours are from five thirty to six, come back tomorrow, he said without looking up to see who it was, hoping that it really was past six already. And even if it wasn't, nobody would dare to argue.

I'm actually not a student, Lupin replied and stepped forward to stand in the doorframe.

_And I actually don't care._ What is it now, Lupin? Severus snarled. Anything else you want to ask me, anything else I can do for you? Or do you simply enjoy getting on my nerves? It was the fourth time today that the werewolf seemed to have felt the need to show up somewhere around him and ask him for something and by now it was getting truly annoying.

A little bit of both, Lupin said and let the ten page essay he'd been carrying with him drop onto his desk. Harry's essay, he explained when Severus finally looked up. I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that he received a detention from Eliza for working on it during Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

I'm not very interested in Potter's leisure activities, Severus muttered. As a matter of fact, right now he didn't want to hear anything about any student at all. He'd had enough of them for one day; he'd had enough of being a teacher. He wouldn't have complained about the fact that he had to take a second year Hufflepuff girl up to the infirmary after she'd managed to nearly cut off two of her fingers in an attempt to chop some roots. Neither would he have complained about the seemingly endless stupidity that had made two of his fourth year Slytherins eat some poisonous herbs because they'd thought it was a great way to test their courage. But it had really been too much when those two idiotic Gryffindors had blown up their cauldron. That slimy, sticky substance they'd called a potion had been everywhere, on every student, every table and every wall. And of course all over their teacher as well. So would that be all? he asked impatiently.

No, actually not, Lupin said and smiled at him although he knew for sure that all he'd receive in return would be another loathing glare. I'm looking for a book.

The library's said to have plenty of them.

The Silence of the Dark Mind. They have it, but Flitwick borrowed it a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I can't find him anywhere but Madam Pince told me that you owned a copy of it as well so I thought I could ask you. Just for a few hours, I'd give it back to you tomorrow.

Planning to practise the Dark Arts?

It's a necessity to show the students what they have to defend themselves against, isn't it?

Severus didn't want to think about the necessity of using Dark Magic in order to teach how to fight it and he didn't want to continue this conversation either. For a moment he just sat there, glared down onto his table and considered telling Lupin to go over to the shelves and find the book himself but then decided that his primary objective was to get rid of his uninvited visitor as quickly as possible and that therefore it would be better if he got it for him. Lupin waited patiently while Severus slowly and reluctantly got up from his chair and sighed at all the effort that was being asked of him. He walked over to one of the shelves, pulled out a large old book bound in dark green leather and walked back across the room.

There you go, he said and handed Lupin the book. Anything else now? Severus was standing right in front of him, one hand resting on the door handle, the other on the wall, blocking Lupin's view as well as his way into the room.

Lupin said quickly. You're sounding pretty annoyed already so I suppose I should just keep clear of you for the rest of the day.

How about the rest of the month? Severus muttered and slammed the door shut again right in front of his face.

  


It was close to ten in the evening when Severus finally left his office and his work behind for the day and started on his way through the dungeons towards the Entrance Hall. He'd almost forgotten that he'd promised Minerva to meet her and tell her what he thought about the article she'd written for some magazine he'd never heard of. But at least he'd read that article. They'd been asking her for ages if they could publish something she'd written and now she'd finally agreed.

Severus himself had never published anything. And he wasn't very interested in it either. He could have, of course. They'd even asked him. Well, not on a weekly basis like they asked Flitwick. Two times in the last fifteen years actually. But he'd always decline anyway; it didn't seem like the best idea to have his name in the papers while he was trying to keep a low profile. And that was basically what he'd been doing ever since he'd become a teacher here.

He reached the stairs leading up to the hall, came to a sudden halt and whirled around. Out of the corner of his eye he'd seen a flicker of light and now he could see where it had come from: the torches in one of the smaller side corridors.

_Potter._ For some reason that was the first thing that came to his mind. The torches would only ignite if they detected motion on that corridor so there had to be someone there - and who else could it be?

Severus walked back along the hallway until he reached the brightly lit corridor: there was nothing there except for an old suit of armour. _I know you're here, Potter. Probably sneaking around here with your Invisibility Cloak, aren't you?_

No chance to escape, Potter, he said softly and slowly started walking along the corridor. The torches will give you away, no matter where you go.

He whirled around again, convinced he'd seen a shadow floating across the floor but again, there was nothing. Suddenly, with a loud rattling sound, the suit of armour dropped its buckler and a cat jumped out from behind it and dashed along the corridor to disappear around the next corner.

Bloody cat again... Severus muttered. He'd told Filch more than once to make sure Mrs. Norris would keep clear of the dungeons; he just didn't like it when that cat watched him all the time. He shook his head and continued on his way upstairs.

  


The door opened just when he was about to knock and McGonagall stood in front of him, carrying some rolled up parchments.

You're early. She greeted him. I'll just have to take these up to the owlery and send them, I'll be back in a minute, she explained, and before he even had a chance to say anything she'd already disappeared around the next corner. Severus shrugged his shoulders and stepped through the door into the room.

It was pretty dark in here with the only light coming from the fireplace and a single candle on the writing desk in the corner. Pleasantly dark, like his dungeons. Just a little cosier, probably because there were no dead frogs, lizards and snakes staring at you from the shelves.

He closed the door behind himself, slowly walked over to the window and for a moment he just stood there looking down onto the empty dark grounds before he noticed the little silver tree that was standing on the window sill. It was a tiny tree, no more than four inches high and there were little metallic bronze leaves hanging from its silvery branches. He hadn't seen it in ages; the last time had been when he'd been a fourth year student and had been waiting in McGonagall's office because she'd wanted to talk him about why he hadn't been doing his Transfigurations homework for the third time in a row. Severus reached out, held his hand above the little tree and the bronze leaves started shaking and jingling softly.

_It's the magic running through you that makes the leaves move. You're going to be a powerful wizard one day._

That's what she'd said when she'd caught him playing with it all those years ago. And she'd been right; _powerful_ he had become, no doubt.

The door opened, he turned around and the jingle of the leaves stopped immediately.

Sorry to have kept you waiting, McGonagall said as she closed the door again. Can I offer you a drink?

Sure, thank you.

Gin or Scotch?

I'll stick to the Scotch.

So? Did you read it? she asked, as she poured some Scotch into a glass and handed it to him.

Of course I did, Severus replied.

Well? What do you think?

Couldn't find any spelling mistakes, he muttered as he sat down in one of the dark red armchairs. McGonagall threw him a stern look and he shrugged his shoulders. An essay about turning non-animagi into animals - that's just over my head, I told you before. I can't even remember how to transfigure an earthworm into a shoelace.

McGonagall frowned at him, suddenly looking very much like a teacher. You really should know that. Every second year student here can do that.

When was the last time you saw me wearing lace-up shoes?

She hesitated for a moment and then obviously came to the conclusion that she didn't want to discuss shoes and shoelaces any longer. Then what do you think about the part dealing with the Polyjuice potion?

Could you _please_ just give me your opinion?

I mean it, it was intriguing. You seem to know more about it than I do, Severus replied. The only thing you might want to consider is taking another look at that passage about the development and the changes regarding the ingredients. A little more detail perhaps.

Yes, you're probably right, she said slowly. Maybe I should read that paper Mr. Potter wrote for your class...

_How do you know about _that_ again? Who did Potter actually _not _complain to? Is that all he's doing, walking around and complaining about me to everyone in this castle? Well, at least that would be a rather safe hobby that's not likely to get him killed... _Do me a favour and don't even start with that now.

I didn't say anything, did I? McGonagall replied, took a stack of parchments from the small table next to the fireplace and disappeared into the adjoining room. Actually Potter got a detention from me today. She called back into the other room. Fifteen minutes late and then he has the front to say he'd forgotten what classroom he was supposed to go to. It's been one and the same classroom since his very first day here!

Severus smiled to himself; at least he didn't seem to be the only one Potter regarded as stupid enough to feel safe lying straight to his face. Successful day for Potter then, he replied while staring down into his glass of Scotch. From what I heard he also received a detention from your friend... Professor what's-her-name-again.

You know, you could really be a little nicer to Eliza, McGonagall said as she stepped back into the room.

he asked incredulously. I'm not aware of being particularly unfriendly.

You're about as friendly to her as you are to Remus, she said and sat down in the armchair opposite him. Couldn't you just _try_ to be a _bit_ nicer? You might actually like her.

_Yes, I'm sure we'll get along great. Letting Potter serve detention is a good start at least. _Fine. I'll try to be nicer, Severus said reluctantly.

That's all I'm asking of you, she replied and smiled at him. So how was your day? I heard you spent an unusual amount of time in the infirmary today.

Please don't remind me, he growled. Is it just my imagination or are those kids getting more stupid every year? They're _eating_ those herbs although - no, _because_ - I tell them that they're poisonous. Just what's wrong with them?

  


It had become late once again. Neither of them would have noticed if there hadn't been a knock on the door that made them both look up at the old clock on the mantelpiece. It showed exactly half past one.

Expecting anyone? Severus asked and got up from his armchair.

Definitely not, McGonagall replied. Would you mind getting the door for me and send whoever it might be to hell?

With pleasure. _Sending people to hell is fun. _He walked across the room, opened the door and was a little surprised to find Lupin standing in the corridor. _Him especially._

What are _you_ doing here? Lupin asked before Severus had a chance to say anything.

Do you know what time it is? Severus asked in return.

Is Minerva here?

What on earth do you want?

They would probably have continued talking at each other without ever listening if McGonagall hadn't come to the door and taken care of the matter herself. What is it, Remus? she asked.

It's Harry. He's... I can't find him anywhere, Lupin replied.

Well, you won't find him _here,_ Severus muttered.

I'm not joking, Severus. I'm really worried, Lupin said.

He's probably taking another one of his little midnight trips together with Weasley and Granger, Severus said.

I don't think so, Lupin replied in a low voice and stepped aside so they could see Ron Weasley who'd been standing behind him. He has no idea where Harry could be either.

Mr. Weasley? When was the last time you saw him? McGonagall asked.

Around ten. After the DA meeting, Ron replied.

Three and a half hours, Lupin said. Too much time to just be sneaking through the castle all alone, isn't it?

It is indeed, McGonagall said. I'll get the headmaster.

  


* * *

AN: I'm sorry that it has taken me so incredibly long to update. When I posted my last chapter I was really glad to see you're still reading this so I hope I didn't lose all my readers by now ;) I hope you enjoyed this one.

  


Enahma: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it, sorry for the long wait... hope you're still reading

Chi7890: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it :) Thank you so much for your other reviews as well. As you can see, I'm not always that fast Did you post that dialogue you've written? I'd be interested in reading it.

Denise: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed reading it, I hope you still like it!

falling-alone: Thank you! Nothing from Harry's pov this chapter though, hope you still liked it.

Barrie: Thank you! I'm happy to hear you liked it and I'm glad you think I have everyone in character.

Jaximillion: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it, hope you're still reading although it took me so long to update.

greengirlblue: Thank you! I'm really glad to hear you liked it, hope you liked this one as well.

Empress Guinevere Sparrow: Thank you! Obviously the next chapter wasn't almost finished yet, hope you're still reading!

Anna Mette: Thank you :) I'm always glad to hear you liked it :)

LinZE: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. No MM/SS though, I've never written any romance and I most probably never will; hope you're not disappointed

Athalia: Thank you! I'm glad you liked the last one, I hope you also liked this one.

Ronnie: Thank you! I'm glad to see you're reading this and that you liked it. You're right about Lupin but I suppose even he'd lose his patience with Snape at some point ;)

Boromir: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it and thank you so much for all your other reviews as well, made me happy when I got them all :)

Phoenix of the Stars: Thank you :) I'm glad you liked it, I hope you liked this one too!


	13. Into The Unknown

Into The Unknown

Severus watched McGonagall striding along the corridor and only when the echo of her footsteps couldn't be heard anymore he realised that by now he had probably missed his chance to get away from here as well and would have to wait for her return standing around in front of her office together with Lupin and Weasley.

An awkward silence had set over them which none of them intended to break – Severus least of all. He didn't want to hear a word from either of them, he didn't want to know about Potter's whereabouts and for all he cared the little brat could just stay wherever he was till the end of time. He just wondered why Lupin had had to show up here at all. Was that man really so incapable of ever getting anything done on his own? It really shouldn't be too hard for him to find his newly acquired godson, after all he still had to be somewhere in this castle and inside a castle you can't really get lost. Well, maybe in this castle you could. And Potter _did_ have a talent for getting himself into trouble.

But Severus didn't care; Potter just wasn't his problem. Lupin was responsible for him now. And Dumbledore and McGonagall. But he wasn't.

While Ron was still standing in the middle of the corridor and staring down at his own feet, Lupin had started pacing up and down with a very worried expression on his face.

"Could you possibly manage to stand still for a minute?" Severus asked, leaning back against the doorframe and folding his arms.

"I'm worried," Lupin replied. "I know that it's probably almost impossible for you to understand but I'm worried about Harry."

_And what exactly does pacing up and down right in front of me change about that? _"Nobody might have told you yet, but your way of being worried is extremely annoying," Severus said.

Lupin stopped pacing and shot him an angry glare. "You know, Severus, since you don't give a damn anyway, why don't you simply go?"

_I honestly don't know._ "So Potter didn't go back with you, Weasley?" Severus asked, turning away from Lupin. "After Lupin's silly little lesson?"

"No," Ron replied slowly, obviously taking offence at the fact that Severus was pretty unimpressed by their Defence Against the Dark Arts training efforts. "He only said I should go ahead, he'd come in a minute."

"And you didn't even inquire? Usually you seem almost inseparable."

"No, he didn't," Lupin said. "He thought that Harry would probably go to the library to take back a book. We already checked, he never got there."

_Well, well, well, werewolf, you've lost your little protegé. I wonder what Black would say if he knew about that. Really messed up this one, haven't you..._ "Does he have his Invisibility Cloak with him?" Severus asked.

"Ron, go up to your dormitory and check if the cloak's still there," Lupin said and Ron immediately set into motion.

Lupin waited until Ron had disappeared around the next corner before he turned to face Snape again. "Would you mind," he asked slowly, his voice very calm. "Would you mind not constantly criticising my teaching methods, ridiculing my abilities, and running me down _right in front_ of my students?"

"You don't _have_ any students, Lupin," Severus replied and smirked at him. "You're not a teacher here."

Severus had almost been looking forward to a little argument but unfortunately Lupin didn't have a chance to mention that it was actually his doing that he wasn't a teacher here _anymore_ before their little conversation was suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice - Dobberstein. And although Severus remembered that he had promised to be nice, at this very moment he didn't at all feel like trying to.

"What a surprise to find two of my dear colleagues prowling the corridors at such a late hour," she greeted them, smiling widely.

Severus rolled his eyes and – trying to be nice – made sure she didn't see it while Lupin returned her smile. "We're looking for Harry, actually," he explained. "You haven't seen him, have you?"

"Not since this afternoon, no," Dobberstein replied thoughtfully. "You don't believe something might have happened to him, do you?"

Lupin shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, but I have a feeling that there might be something strange going on here."

"Spare us your feelings, Lupin, will you?" Severus snarled. "He's probably just hiding somewhere, laughing about us and hoping that..." He let his voice trail off and stared down at the floor, completely lost in thought.

_When was the last time you saw him?_

_Around ten. After the DA meeting._

_Potter in his Invisibility Cloak. Down in the dungeons. Around ten._

"Excuse me," Severus muttered, left his place by the door and strode down the corridor past Lupin and Dobberstein.

"Where are _you_ going now?" Lupin called after him but Severus only raised a dismissive hand, not even granting him a 'mind your business'.

Even he himself didn't quite know what he was expecting to find as he made his way down to the dungeons; if Potter really had been down there he probably wouldn't still be sitting there waiting for him now.

His footsteps echoed loudly through the empty Entrance Hall and torches lit up as he passed them, casting his long black shadow onto the ground. He walked down the stone stairs to the dungeons and followed the corridor until he reached the spot where he had run into Mrs. Norris a few hours earlier.

"I was right, Potter," he muttered to himself while letting his gaze wander across the floor as if expecting to find the boy's footprints there. "You _were_ here, I know that. But where are you now?"

He couldn't shake off the feeling that Potter was doing this only to annoy him. This castle was probably the safest place in the world right now, not even a mouse could get in here – or out of here – unnoticed; nothing _could_ have happened to him.

When he heard footsteps behind him, Severus turned his head and shot Lupin an annoyed glare. "What could _you_ want down here? Are you following me?"

"Yeah, I suppose I am," Lupin said. "I got the impression that you might know more than you let show."

"I _do_ hate to disappoint you, but no, I have no idea what Potter might have gotten himself into this time," Severus replied. "You checked he's not already back in his bed by now, I hope?"

"Do you believe he's somewhere down here?" Lupin asked while glancing around the dark dungeons. "Where does that door lead?" he asked a second later and started walking towards a heavy wooden door at the other end of the corridor.

Severus sighed inaudibly. "I'm not willing to spend my night running after you just to make sure you won't lose your way somewhere down here."

"Don't worry, I know my way around this castle," Lupin muttered, pulled the door open and frowned upon finding just another hallway with even more doors behind it. "Well..."

Severus smiled to himself; most people didn't know that Hogwarts branched out even further below ground than it did above. He, of course, knew that. And if Potter was down here, Severus was convinced that he'd be the one who was going to find him.

"Yes, I'm sure you know your way around. Nonetheless, try not to get lost, I'll be back in a minute," Severus replied and set off towards his classroom just to return a few minutes later with a small pouch filled with some Obsidian Dust. He'd started working on this out of pure boredom quite a while ago and had never actually tried it out to see if it worked, so right now was probably as good a time as any.

Lupin refrained from asking him what he was up to and silently watched him take a handful of the silvery powder out of the pouch and then sprinkle it onto the ground. For a second the Obsidian Dust just hovered above the stone floor before it fell down and formed thin lines that crept across the ground towards each other until they formed the outlines of footprints.

Lupin arched an eyebrow. "I have to admit that's quite impressive," he said. "You got that just for tracking down students roaming the corridors past curfew?"

"Just for the ones hiding under invisibility cloaks," Severus replied and set off along the corridor, following the footprints.

"Do you believe that was Harry?" Lupin asked and started walking as well. "I mean, it could have been anyone, couldn't it?"

"There usually aren't a lot of students down here," Severus muttered.

"But what could he have wanted here?"

_How am I supposed to know?_ Severus sighed inaudibly and said nothing.

"Well, at least he's quite safe as long as he's still in the castle, right?" Lupin said and glanced around. "Where does this corridor lead?" he asked.

"Nowhere in particular," Severus muttered in reply, beginning to think he might already know where Potter's footprints would lead them, although he truly had no idea what the boy could have wanted down in the lower dungeons; barely anyone ever went there, even he himself hadn't been down there for months.

They followed the narrow corridor as it wound its way further down and with every step they took it seemed to become colder and darker around them until they finally reached a dead end; the shimmering footprints they'd been following lead straight to a wall and ended right in front of the large dusty portrait of a middle-aged wizard who had obviously fallen asleep at his desk. Lupin stepped forward, studied the painting for a moment and then raised his hand to knock on the surface.

The wizard in the portrait woke up, looked at him and then frowned. "Now what do _you_ want?" he asked hoarsely and in a very unfriendly and annoyed tone as he reluctantly sat up straight in his chair.

"Well, what do people usually want from you?" Lupin asked in return.

"I don't believe _you_ even know the password," the wizard with the long graying hair muttered, put his feet onto his desk, leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes again.

"Anguis aeternus," Severus muttered the password as he took a step out of the shadows and towards the painting.

The wizard in the portrait immediately snapped his eyes open, took his feet off the table again and gave him a surprised look. "Professor Snape," he greeted him with a courteous nod. "Didn't see you there."

"Lord Macius," Severus replied curtly, not intending to start a conversation.

"It's been a while since we last met."

"It has indeed," Severus muttered and just as he was about to tell the man in the portrait to simply shut up and let them through, he hesitated. "Tell me, have you let a boy through today?"

"Oh, I think I have."

"You _think_ you have?" Lupin asked.

"Well, I couldn't see him! I could only hear his voice, it seemed so familiar..." The wizard in the painting replied and raised his head to look up at the ceiling with a strangely dreamy expression on his face.

"So you let through an invisible stranger today," Severus said softly. "I'm just interested - when _exactly_ were you going to report that to me?"

"I didn't think you'd be too interested, Professor. My apologies."

"Yes..." Severus muttered. "Did he know the password?"

"Oh yes, of course he did," the wizard in the portrait replied. "Nobody gets through without the password."

Severus nodded, impatiently waved a hand at him and the painting finally swung aside to admit them to a narrow staircase leading down to the lower dungeons.

The stairs were just wide enough for one person to walk down and the stone steps were wet and slippery. There was no space for torches here and since Severus couldn't have claimed to know his way around here as well as he did in the upper levels of the dungeons, he took out his wand and cast a _Lumos _spell so at least he wouldn't fall down the stairs and break his neck while searching for obnoxious Potter Junior. Lupin hesitated for a second, sniffed the stale air, decided he wasn't too fond of this place and then followed him nonetheless.

They hadn't made it far when the portrait swung back into place with a low creaking sound and left them in nearly complete darkness, unable to see either where the stairs started or where they led to.

"I've never been down here before," Lupin said in a low voice. "I didn't even know this existed."

Severus didn't say anything in return so Lupin gave up and just followed him in silence until they finally reached the end of the staircase. The torches on the walls around them flickered to life, they both put their wands away and Lupin could see that they were standing right in front of a stone wall with corridors leading to the left and right.

"What's that?" he asked and nodded towards a rusty square plate mounted on the wall in front of him. "Is that Greek?" he added after examining the signs that had been carved into the metal.

"Yes," Severus replied and set off along the corridor to his left. "It says that those running against time shall never find their way."

"You can read ancient Greek?"

"No. Are you going to just stand there or come along now?"

"What does it mean?" Lupin asked as he set into motion as well.

"It means that you have to turn left. Clockwise."

"Ah, I see," Lupin muttered more to himself, thought that a simple arrow would have done the job just as well and decided to delay asking Snape what would happen if one turned right instead.

They followed the corridor until they reached a larger hallway.

Severus stopped walking and glanced around. "Potter!" he called out, but all he got as a reply was the echo of his own voice.

"Umh... excuse me," Lupin said carefully. "But do you really think that if he heard _you_ calling for him he'd jump up and shout 'Hello, over here!' so you can take two hundred house points from Gryffindor and make him serve detention till Christmas?"

"Fine," Severus replied in a dangerously low and calm voice. "So _you_ call for him."

"Very well... Harry!" Lupin called. "Harry, are you down here?"

Severus stood next to him with his arms folded and a smug smile on his lips. "A lot more successful indeed."

"Well, why don't you just use that stuff you have there to make his footprints visible again?" Lupin said.

"The floor's too wet down here, it wouldn't work," Severus replied softly. "Can't you pick up his trail?"

"I'm not a dog."

"Pity. I thought your _special talents_ might finally prove useful."

"Ha ha. We'll probably just have to search for him the old fashioned way then. What's behind that door?" Lupin asked and pointed at a heavy wooden door a little further down the corridor.

"A storeroom."

"What about that door on the other side?"

"Another storeroom."

"Is there anything but storerooms down here?" Lupin asked.

"A few empty rooms," Severus replied. "It's pointless to even start searching for him here," he muttered, turned away and started walking back to where they'd come from.

"So you suggest we just do nothing?"

"Potter has to be somewhere down here and sooner or later he'll get bored and turn up again. I don't see a reason to spend my night searching for him." _I've had enough of running after him anyway, trying to protect him while he's doing everything he can to make my job as difficult as possible. I'm tired._

"I'll search for him," Lupin said.

Severus hesitated for a moment, then he shrugged his shoulders.

"Do what you have to do then," he said and left. He knew that Lupin had expected him to come along but he really didn't want to seek through a few dozen dirty rooms full of junk and old furniture. It wasn't his job.

He had just made it back to the Entrance Hall when he saw Weasley, Dobberstein, McGonagall and the headmaster walking down the stairs and realised that Potter-searching probably was just about to become his job after all.

"Severus, have you found him yet?" Dumbledore asked.

"He seems to be somewhere in the lower dungeons," he replied.

"Didn't you search for him?" McGonagall asked.

"Well, personally I believe that he'll show up again...," he let his voice trail off when he noticed the reproachful expression on McGonagall's face. "Lupin's still down there looking for him."

Just when he'd said that the door behind him flew open again and Lupin stumbled into the Entrance Hall, slightly out of breath and holding up a cloak for them to see.

"I found his Invisibility Cloak," he said. "You should really come down and have a look at where I found it."

They did as he'd suggested and followed him back into the dungeons, Severus only reluctantly and after McGonagall had gently pushed him in the right direction. They reached the room where Lupin had found the cloak and while everyone else followed him inside Severus remained standing in the doorway, feeling like the room was already overcrowded without him.

"I found it right here," Lupin said. "What do you make of that?"

Severus didn't make anything of it since he couldn't see what Lupin was talking about but he wasn't interested enough to even attempt seeing past his colleagues.

Instead he leaned a little towards McGonagall who was standing not too far away from him and asked, "How could Potter know the password to get past Lord Macius?"

"I suppose I'm the one to blame for that," McGonagall replied. "Mr. Potter needed the password because he had to take a few things down here when he was helping Mr. Filch."

"Why on earth was he helping Filch?"

"It seemed to me as if he was a little bored here in the castle all on his own so I decided to give him something to do."

Severus arched an eyebrow in surprise. "Good thinking, to make him do something useful for a change. And something you'd have scolded me for again if it had been my idea."

Dumbledore stepped aside and Severus caught a glimpse of some stones scattered on the ground in front of a large painting that was leaning against the wall.

"Rune stones, right?" Lupin asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore replied.

"The pattern in which they'd been arranged looks somewhat familiar to me," Eliza Dobberstein said thoughtfully.

Severus rolled his eyes. _Of course, Mrs. Defence-Against-the-Dark-Arts, knows what's going on. Oh please, enlighten us... _Out of the corner of his eye he saw McGonagall kneeling down and picking something up from the ground.

"What's that?" he asked.

"A book...," she muttered as she skimmed through the pages. "An empty book, as a matter of fact."

He held out his hand and knowing that he never believed anything unless he'd seen it for himself she handed him the small leather bound book.

"This is without a doubt Dark Magic," he heard Dobberstein say.

Severus flipped the book open and quickly read over a few poorly printed paragraphs before he held the open book up in front of McGonagall's face again.

"Blank page?" he asked.

She put on her glasses and took a closer look. "Is it not?" she asked doubtfully.

"Not to me."

"But a boy of his age couldn't possibly know of such magic," Dobberstein said.

"You mustn't underestimate Harry," Lupin replied with a weak smile.

"Indeed," Severus said softly. "Potter always seems rather well informed whenever it comes to things he should _not _know about. Nonetheless, I assume that this book might have been of help to him."

He handed the book to Dumbledore who only had to take one quick look at it to come to the same conclusion as McGonagall. "Empty pages when I look at it," he said thoughtfully. "How about you, Remus?" he asked and handed Lupin the book.

"I can see it, too."

"Why are they the only ones who can see it?" Dobberstein asked after taking a look at the strange little book herself.

"Obviously it has something to say only to certain people," Dumbledore replied.

Severus definitely couldn't imagine what in the world he could have done to qualify for being in the same group of _certain people _as Potter and Lupin so he rather regarded this as a coincidence.

"Weasley? Where did he get that book?" Severus asked. "It wasn't in the library, was it?"

"No," Ron replied. "I think he got it for his birthday."

"Who gave it to him?" Lupin asked.

Ron shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know...," he said. "Someone sent it by owl."

"Brilliant," Severus muttered to himself. _Day after day we're all doing everything we can to make sure that kid is safe here and then someone just sends him a book full of Dark Magic and nobody even notices. And of course, Potter doesn't regard it necessary to tell anyone about it either._

"Listen, there's an inscription in the book," Lupin said. "_Sirius and I were never closest of friends but we always respected each other. He was the bravest man I've ever met in my life. I can only imagine what his death is doing with you, who was actually so close to him. However, if you are anything like your godfather, you'll find this book extremely interesting. _No signature or anything."

"Anyone could have written that," Severus said. "Everyone knows about Potter and Black."

"_They_ know as well, don't they?" Dobberstein said in a low voice and turned around to look at him.

"Yes, they do," Severus replied and looked back at her out of narrowed eyes; somehow he didn't like the way she'd said that, it had sounded too much as if she suspected him of knowing more than he let show. And he didn't like it that she obviously knew about him what nobody who wasn't a member of the Order was supposed to know.

"Whoever might be responsible for this," Dumbledore said, looking down at the book Lupin was holding in his hand, "First we will have to find out what happened. I suggest you two," he said, looking first at Lupin, then at Snape, "have a look at the book while the rest of us examine these runestones."

Remus nodded and careful not to destroy anything he stepped out of what was left of the semicircle the runestones had been arranged in and left the room. Severus scowled but turned and left as well. He followed him into the small storeroom on the other side of the corridor but when Lupin sat down on a dusty old desk with the open book on his knees, Severus remained standing a few steps away from him.

"Are you going to have a look at it as well?" Lupin asked after having studied the first two pages for a few seconds, not even looking up.

"Just tell me what it says," Severus replied lazily.

Lupin raised his head. "Perhaps we should find out first whether it reads the same to you as it does to me."

Severus shrugged his shoulders, muttered an unintelligible "Why shouldn't it?", made a few steps towards Lupin and took the book from him. He turned to the next page, quickly read the first paragraph and handed the book back to him.

"Read," he said.

Lupin read the first few words before it dawned on him that he'd probably meant him to read it aloud. "A bridge to the other side will appear only when the silence is broken by the darkest truth," he read, "and only those willing to step into this darkness, willing to leave the light behind and to carry..."

"Exactly the same," Severus interrupted him.

"Good," Lupin said and turned a few more pages. "Now if only some of it would make any sense..."

Severus watched him turning pages, reading, shaking his head and turning pages again for a few minutes before Lupin spoke up again.

"It reads like a guide or something on how to get to this place, the other side," he said. "Oh, there's a drawing."

"I'm glad that amongst all those confusing letters you finally found something that appeals to you."

"A drawing of a house," Lupin said, showing no reaction to his snide remark. "I think that's Latin here..." he muttered and looked up. "Could you have a look at that? I've never been good at Latin."

Severus reluctantly took the book from his hands again and studied the black and white drawing as well as the handwritten lines next to it. "You're astonishingly talented at recognising a language while not understanding a word of it," he said.

"Thank you," Lupin replied.

"That wasn't meant to be a compliment."

"I know," Lupin said. "Can you translate it?"

"Try a translation charm," Severus suggested and held the open book up in front of Lupin who quickly pulled out his wand and cast the charm.

"Seems to be no good," Lupin said after taking another look at the page. "Still pretty much Latin."

Severus sighed inaudibly. "Well..." he said, staring down at the page. "It says..." he frowned, realising that it actually had been quite a while since he'd last had anything to do with Latin. "It says something about a shadow of death... uncovers the soul... luna sanguinea... the bloodmoon summons the ghosts of the dead... the loved and the hated... the door opens the way back in... It doesn't really make a lot of sense."

"That couldn't possibly have something to do with the person translating it?" Lupin asked.

Severus shot him a glare. "Actually it doesn't need to make sense," he said. "I suppose you didn't read the last paragraph on the previous page? Because if you had then you'd know that these words are the incantation needed to open the portal." He turned a few more pages, found nothing but blank parchment, closed the book again and handed it back to Lupin. "I suppose we've found what we've been looking for," Severus said.

"Did we?" Lupin asked. "You think Harry used that incantation and the runestones to get to that place described in the book?"

"Yes, I do," Severus replied.

"Why would he do that?"

_Probably simply because it was the most naïve, idiotic and irrational thing possible to do. _"The ghosts of the dead, a bridge to the other side?" Severus said. "The whole thing reads like a travelling guide to the realms of the dead and the inscription was Potter's personal invitation."

"He's searching for Sirius," Lupin said softly and shook his head. "I could have guessed that right away; I mean, I knew how hard it was for him to deal with it..."

"Whatever his reasons might have been, the more interesting question is: _Where_ is he now and _how_ do we get him back here?"

Lupin nodded and jumped down from the desk he'd been sitting on. "Exactly," he said. "I'll go after him and bring him back," he added and left the room.

"Our hero," Severus muttered to himself, sighed inaudibly and followed him.

While Lupin told the others about what they'd found out Severus made two futile attempts to send Weasley back to his dormitory and much to his surprise the young Gryffindor stood his ground and refused to leave before knowing what had happened to his friend and what they were going to do about it even when he threatened to make him serve detention till the end of the term.

Severus decided not to bother about it any longer and to rather leave Weasley to his own Head of House and listened to what Dumbledore, McGonagall and Dobberstein had found out. They seemed to have come to pretty much the same conclusion as he and Lupin: Potter had obviously managed to open some sort of portal with the help of the runestones, the book and the painting and Merlin knew where he was now.

"But how does that painting fit in?" Lupin asked and kneeled down in front of it. The golden picture frame was covered by a layer of dust and the painting showed a misty landscape, dark woods and a small old house behind the trees near the horizon.

"The picture itself doesn't seem to have been jinxed or influenced in any other way," Dobberstein said. "As a matter of fact, it's not even a magical painting but of Muggle origin."

"I didn't know we had Muggle paintings here," Lupin muttered.

"Neither did I," McGonagall said. "It seems to have been down here for a long time already, at least I've never seen it before."

"That's exactly the same house we saw in the drawing in that book," Lupin said and stood up again. "How's that possible? Even more so since it's a _Muggle_ picture?" he asked, turning to Dumbledore.

The headmaster thoughtfully shook his head. "I don't know," he said softly.

Severus frowned; _'I don't know'_ was something he definitely didn't like to hear from him.

"But that painting seems to be the passage to where ever Harry might be now," Dumbledore added. "And if the house in the painting is the same one as in the book, it's possible that it's not only a passage but that he's actually _inside_ the painting."

"Well, I'll go after him and find out," Lupin said.

"Yes, that seems to be the only possible way; we should waste no time. But you're not going on your own," Dumbledore said. "Severus?"

Severus wasn't very delighted about his idea. "Perhaps it would be better if someone else went with him," he said, not yet knowing what reason aside from _"Because I really don't want to"_ he could have given Dumbledore for his suggestion.

"You're the only one who could," Lupin said. "Because you're the only one aside from me who's able to read anything in this book. It said it right on the first page; you can only go across if you're being called. But don't worry, I'll go alone if you're not willing to."

Severus had just wanted to wish him good luck on his journey but unfortunately Dumbledore was faster. "I will definitely _not_ allow you to go on your own, Remus," the headmaster said.

Severus felt everyone's eyes on him and realised that he didn't really have a choice. "Fine," he said, glanced down at the picture once more, turned away and strode out of the room, muttering something nobody not in possession of a werewolf's sharp sense of hearing could have understood.

"Did he just say something?" Eliza Dobberstein asked, obviously a bit surprised by her colleague's behaviour.

"He said he'd go and get himself a coat," Lupin said. "Doesn't really get out of his dungeons a lot, might not have noticed that it's still summer..." he added.

"I'm quite sure he's aware of that," McGonagall said. "The weather might not be as friendly where you'll be going though."

Lupin looked down at the painting once more and sighed. "Yeah, you might be right," he said slowly. "I suppose I should go and get myself a jacket as well."

He returned ten minutes later with a very shabby greenish leather jacket from Filch's lost, found and never reclaimed repository which was just a bit too short and a bit too loose to be mistaken as his own. He was slightly surprised to notice that he'd actually returned before Snape although he'd had to go all the way up to the second floor.

"He's really taking his time, isn't he?" Lupin said to McGonagall who was standing a few steps away from the painting and watching Dumbledore and Dobberstein rearranging the runestones on the floor.

"As usually," McGonagall replied in a low voice. "Remus, does that book say anything about how you're supposed to get back here?" she asked.

"Not really," Lupin replied. "It's just blank pages after the one with the incantation that opens the portal. I thought maybe if I take the book with me it might give me some more information when I need it."

"Perhaps you're not supposed to get away from there again."

Lupin knew she was right, couldn't think of anything to say in return and therefore said nothing at all.

"We'll give you three hours," McGonagall said. "If we don't hear from you within that time we'll try to either get you back here or send someone after you."

"And how?" Lupin asked the obvious question, not expecting they'd come up with an answer while he'd been away.

"We'll have three hours to figure that out," McGonagall replied and handed him the leather bound book.

"Very good," Dumbledore said and took a step away from the picture. "With that we should be ready."

"I'm good to go," Lupin said. "Now once Severus decides to show up here again-"

"I'm right here," Severus cut him off as he stepped into the room, carrying a black coat over his arm. "Nice jacket, it looks like a dead lizard."

"Can we leave then?" Lupin asked.

"After you," Severus replied.

Lupin took a deep breath, stepped up to stand right in front of the painting, opened the book and read the incantation. Then he closed the book again, tossed it over to Snape and just as he started wondering whether or not it had worked, he felt as if a giant invisible hand grabbed him and wrapped around his body so tightly that it nearly kept him from breathing. He felt himself being drawn towards the painting, the world around him started spinning and then everything went black.

"Your turn," McGonagall said and gave Severus a pat on the shoulder.

Reluctantly he stepped forward to stand in the same spot from where Lupin had just disappeared into thin air and read the incantation.

* * *

AN: It has really taken me incredibly long to update this time. Is anyone still reading this? If you do, I hope you enjoyed it.

Thank you to everyone who sent me an e-mail reminding me that there were still people interested in an update. Thank you to Tim H. Smith and to my lovely beta shadowycat.

Thank you so much to all those who left a review:

Anna Taure, zippy zany, Hannah28, selua, enahma, greengirlblue, akip, LissaPadfootLuvr, Ronnie, Andromeda Snape-Malfoy, Alexandrus W. Pendragon, Phoenix of the Stars, Athalia, PP, IntelEwok, Denise, AzkabanPrisoner, NewbieSnapeFan, Athena Keating-Thomas.

I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed the story so far :)

And thank you to everyone who left a review for the one-shots I posted :)


	14. A Frightful Fiend

A Frightful Fiend

A moment later he found himself standing next to Lupin in a cold and dark night on the edge of a forest in the middle of nowhere. Everything around him looked exactly like the place he'd seen in the painting. The night was quiet and the air was fresh and humid like right after a thunderstorm. This clearly wasn't just a painted landscape – it was real.

"The book," Lupin said impatiently, took it from his hand and quickly thumbed through the pages while Severus put on his coat; it was even colder here than he'd have expected. But it wasn't the cold weather that almost made him shiver; it was an iciness that seemed to come from inside of him, wrapping around him and taking hold of him.

"Well, there seems to be something new here," Lupin muttered, looking down at the formerly empty pages.

"What does it say?" Severus asked, not sure if he even wanted to know.

Lupin cleared his throat and began to read in a low voice. "Like one, that on a lonesome road, doth walk in fear and dread, and having once turned round walks on, and turns no more his head; because he knows, a frightful fiend, doth close behind him tread[i]_. _From the dark recesses of the unconscious mind he cometh, he lurks in fear, he haunts his nightmares; he leaves him no place to run and hide."

"Anything else?" Severus asked. "Something that might perhaps make some sense for a change?"

"Only this," Lupin replied and showed him the drawing of a distorted monstrous grimace beneath the lines he'd just read. "But still no hint on how we're supposed to get away again from where ever _here _might be."

"I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get there," Severus muttered, took a look around and came to the conclusion that right now they had only two directions to choose from of which neither looked very inviting. "So which way would your lupine senses suggest?" he asked. "The mighty woods or the lowlands?"

"The house should be located on the other side of the forest and since I have no idea where else we could start searching – the woods. Let's just follow that path," Lupin replied and stuffed the book into the inside pocket of his jacket. Just as he was about to set into motion, he noticed a piece of paper on the ground that had obviously fallen out of the book and reached down to pick it up. He unfolded it and frowned when he read the few lines on the yellowed parchment.

"Are you coming once you're done digging in the dirt?" Severus, who'd already reached the first trees by now, called back to him.

"Yeah...," Lupin muttered. With a wave of his hand he conjured up a blue glowing orb to light their way and then followed him.

"I found something," Lupin said and held out the folded piece of parchment to him as soon as he'd caught up with him . "Seems to be yours."

Severus didn't care whatever he might have found, was rather sure that it didn't belong to him and didn't want to have it anyway; nonetheless he took the parchment from him and started walking again. "Get going, I don't want to spend the whole night out here," he said while unfolding the paper.

When he saw what was written on it he came to a sudden halt again. He felt a cold shiver running down his spine as he stood there and read it one more time. _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Permission for Hogsmeade Visits. _Once more he checked the date next to the signature. It just wasn't possible; he himself had thrown that piece of paper into the fire and watched it burn, years ago. Decades, actually.

"Where did you get that from?" he whispered and looked up at Lupin again.

"Must have slipped out of the book," Lupin replied.

"There was nothing in that book; we both know that," Snape said angrily. "So where did you get that from?"

Lupin smiled nervously. "I'm telling you, it must have been inside that book. I found it on the ground right where I'd been standing," he said calmly.

Severus hesitated for a moment but then he put the piece of paper into his pocket and walked on.

For a while none of them spoke, Severus still busy enough with trying to figure out where that old piece of parchment could have come from and Lupin convinced that right now it was probably wiser to just keep his mouth shut.

A dense layer of white fog covered the ground and rose up into the darkness surrounding them, making it hard to see any further ahead than a few steps despite the glowing orb of light hovering in front of them. They had already left dozens of rows of neatly aligned trees behind, the fog kept getting worse and Severus was quite sure that it wouldn't be long before he'd run straight into a tree.

"Wait a second," Lupin said.

"Wait _for what_?" Severus snarled.

"Shhh," Lupin tried to make him be silent and turned his head as if listening for something. "Do you hear that?"

"I hear nothing at all," he replied.

"Exactly," Lupin said. "Nothing at all. It's just _too_ silent."

"We're the only people here, what did you expect?"

"Birds, grasshoppers, flies – anything I usually hear. But there's absolutely nothing here, there's not even a breeze in the trees."

"It's a painting, genius," Severus said. "That's why."

Lupin nodded slowly. "A Muggle painting; it's not alive," he said in a whisper and glanced around. "This whole world is dead."

"I for one prefer it that way," Severus said and started walking along the overgrown trail again. "At least we shouldn't get any unexpected company."

"I surely hope not," Lupin muttered to himself. "Now what do you think about that book?" he asked. "Where could it have come from?"

"I don't know," Severus replied.

"Who could have sent it to Harry? I suppose if it had anything to do with You-Know-Who then you'd know about it, wouldn't you?"

"I don't know," Severus said once more.

"But you're suspecting someone, aren't you?" Lupin inquired. "There's something you didn't say in front of the others."

"If you're so keen on knowing," Severus replied. "I simply think it's a bit suspicious that this Dobberstein-woman, who's said to be very skilled regarding everything that has to do with Dark Magic, shows up out of nowhere and then Potter suddenly gets his hands on that book and disappears."

"Well, yes; aside from the fact that she actually arrived _after_ Harry's birthday," Lupin replied. "As far as we know he already had the book by then."

"Nonetheless."

"You're only saying that because you don't like her," Lupin said. "I for one think she's quite nice."

"Do you," Severus muttered.

"You didn't even give her a chance; you just don't like her because you're jealous."

"I'm _what_?"

"It's pretty obvious, actually," Lupin said. "You're jealous whenever Minerva only talks to her. And I'm not the only one who thinks so."

Severus just shook his head at him, wondering why Lupin obviously had nothing better to do than to gossip about him with the rest of the staff. And he wasn't jealous. He didn't care what McGonagall did or who she talked to and it was none of his business anyway. And even if so, that would definitely have been none of Lupin's business.

"It's so annoying having to walk all the way," Lupin changed the subject instead of keeping quiet. "If we knew where we're going we could simply apparate there." He quickly turned his head to the left to peer into the darkness, convinced he'd seen something moving, but if there ever had been something, it was definitely gone now. "Or if we'd taken along brooms we could've been flying instead of walking."

Severus sighed inaudibly. "Yes," he said slowly. "We _could_ if we _had_, but since we haven't I suppose we can put an end to this conversation now."

"Well, sorry," Lupin muttered, looking down at the dense white fog swirling around his feet. "I'm only trying to..." He hadn't been watching where he was going so he was a little surprised when a branch of one of the large pinetrees flicked into his face. He jumped to the side, bumped into Snape, stumbled and found himself on his knees on the forest floor a second later.

"That was just a _tree_," Severus said, looking down at Lupin blankly. "You're not always so jumpy I hope?"

"No," Lupin replied as he got up from the ground again. "Not always. It's just..." he glanced around and then shook his head. "This place is really giving me the creeps; there's something not quite right here. And I think we're not alone."

"Well, _hopefully_ Potter's somewhere around here as well," Severus replied.

"I think there's something following us," Lupin said.

"You're being paranoid; there's no one else here," Severus said, sounding very convinced although he actually had his doubts; ever since they'd entered the forest he hadn't been able to shake off the feeling that there really _was_ someone watching them. He'd blamed it on the fact that he was tired but by now he couldn't deny that he too wasn't feeling very comfortable here.

"Well, speaking of being paranoid..." Lupin said defiantly. "Why did that Hogsmeade permission form upset you like that?"

Severus just started walking again, not wanting to put up with him.

"You should know better than to think you could hide that from me," Lupin said. "I'll always know when you're nervous, even if you're trying not to let it show. I can sense it, I can hear your heartbeat, your breathing; there's nothing you can do about _that_."

"I watched that piece of paper burn to ashes quite a few years ago, I suppose that's why I was a bit surprised to find it here," Severus replied calmly.

"There's more to that," Lupin said. "What's so special about it? It's from our third year. As far as I can recall that was the only year you ever went to Hogsmeade, wasn't it?"

"If you're saying so," Severus muttered.

"You always said you didn't care for those trips though rumour had it you'd been banned from Hogsmeade visits."

_Don't worry, I didn't forget you and your friends teasing me about that._

"It was true, wasn't it?" Lupin asked. "Why?"

"What do you care about that?"

Lupin shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, I've just been wondering about it," he said.

"Keep wondering; it's none of your business."

"I remember very well that you weren't the perfect student either. You too used to bend and break some of the rules; but you must have done something really bad to be banned from _all_ Hogsmeade visits."

"Just stop it, Lupin," Severus said, meaning it.

Lupin must have noticed that he was serious about it so he decided to let the matter rest for now and walked on in silence.

Severus thought that Lupin's decision to finally shut up was probably the best idea he'd had all night. This whole affair would have been annoying enough already without his company; it was cold, he was tired and he was convinced that the darkness surrounding them kept growing more intense as every step they took led them deeper into the woods.

This whole place with the mighty trees looming over them, the giant shadows stretching out on the ground like phantoms and the fog rising up into the air looked strangely familiar to him. But the resemblance these woods bore to the Forbidden Forest was only superficial. What it truly reminded him of was all those places children visited in their nightmares; all those dark, eerie and unreal places full of dread and fear.

But unfortunately this wasn't just a nightmare. Lupin's constant talking was proof enough of that because Severus was sure his own mind wouldn't have been capable of creating a dream filled with such an amount of annoyingly insignificant chatter.

But now that Lupin had finally given up trying to start a conversation with him Severus was also beginning to understand what he'd meant when he'd said that it was just _too silent_ here. The only sound there was were their footsteps on the forest floor and the silence made the one prominent emotion he'd been feeling even more intense – fear. He knew fear, he'd seen it many times before and he now realised that fear was the feeling that had been following him ever since they'd entered this forest, patiently stalking him, waiting to strike. He acknowledged its presence, but he wasn't going to be afraid; he'd given up on being afraid ages ago after finding out that it only disrupted his ability to concentrate and focus.

Suddenly he heard something, something that sounded like a whisper, barely audible and seeming to come from very far away. He threw a quick glance at Lupin who was walking in front of him and didn't look as if he'd noticed anything so he decided that he'd probably only imagined it.

_Severus._

He winced at the sudden sound and whirled around, reaching for his wand; he was sure he'd heard someone whispering his name. Someone who'd been standing only a few steps behind him.

"What is it?" Lupin asked.

"Nothing," he replied quickly.

Lupin shrugged, walked on and Severus followed him. He just wanted to get out of this forest as quickly as possible – there was something he really didn't like about this place.

_Into the fire._

Severus stopped walking again and peered into the darkness to his right.

_You can throw it into the fire straight away._

Now the whispering voice seemed to have come from his left but there too was nothing but darkness.

"Severus?" Lupin asked.

"I just thought I'd heard something."

"I didn't hear anything," Lupin replied. "What did you hear?"

Severus glanced around once more and listened into the darkness but there was no movement and no sound at all. Slowly he shook his head. "I probably only imagined it."

"I never thought you were the type to easily start imagining things."

"Let's walk on, I think it would be best if we got out of here soon," Severus said.

"Now that's finally something we agree on."

They hadn't made it far before Lupin came to a halt again.

"Don't you notice something?" he asked.

"For example?"

"For example that we've been here before."

"That's impossible. We've been following the path all the time."

"I wouldn't want to deny that. Nonetheless, I'm pretty sure that this is the same tree I ran into half an hour ago."

"Then perhaps your way through the forest wasn't the best choice after all," Severus replied.

"Oh, I see; you only let me choose the way so you could blame me should we get lost, didn't you?" Lupin asked.

"Of course. And that's not all; actually I was hoping we'd get ourselves killed and would be damned to roam this world as ghosts so I could spend the rest of eternity telling you that it's all your fault."

"I'm really beginning to get tired of this; as you might recall – I didn't ask you to come along."

"As _you_ might recall – I didn't want to," Severus replied. "In my opinion all this was a rather foolish idea in the first place. We stumbled in here having no idea what we were getting into; for all we knew we could both have been dead the moment we read that incantation."

"Then why _did_ you come along? Nobody forced you to," Lupin said.

"Because Dumbledore wanted me to," Severus replied.

"Did he?" Lupin asked. "I can't recall him ordering you to or even telling you; or did I miss something? You know, the next time you could simply say 'no' and spare me your presence."

_Simply say 'no'? You're truly misjudging the situation if you think I could._

Lupin turned away, took a deep breath and stared into the darkness for a moment.

"I'm sorry." Then he said, "I'm worried, I'm tired and I shouldn't have taken that out on you. You're right – it was risky, but I don't know what else we could have done. Can we move on then? I really want to get out of these woods now."

"We'll have to try a different way; I definitely don't want to walk another half an hour just to end up in the same spot again," Severus said.

"I think we shouldn't stray from the path," Lupin said.

"Why not?"

"Just because I think it isn't a good idea. Haven't you ever heard of little red riding hood?"

"The tale about the big bad wolf?"

"I don't care which way as long as it just leads out of this forest," Severus replied. "You chose to follow the path and we were running in circles. I think it's time for a different approach now. And I'll take...," he said, took a quick look around and then pointed somewhere into the darkness to his right. "...this way. Come along or don't."

Having said that he set off into the forest and Lupin hesitated only for a second before he came to the conclusion that following him was still better than standing around in the middle of the woods all on his own.

Although Severus kept hearing that strange whispering voice as they walked on he tried to pay no attention to it and didn't mention it again. He didn't waste his time on searching the darkness for whoever or whatever might be the origin of that voice anymore either and decided that he'd probably just imagined it.

_Throw it into the fire. Don't you even think about ever asking me for permission. Don't you ever dare. Just you wait till I get you home._

If he couldn't have blamed it on the fact that he was extremely tired he'd probably have started worrying about his sanity. But then it wasn't the first time either; he'd imagined things before. He'd learned long ago how weak and susceptible to manipulations the human mind was and that not even he himself was an exception to that.

"What time is it?" Severus asked, hoping to be able to make Lupin start talking again – anything was better than having to hear that whispering voice all the time.

Lupin pulled out a silver pocket watch, took a quick look at it and put it back into his pocket. "It stopped working when we got here."

"How could I have expected anything different..." Severus muttered to himself.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a shadow and whirled around to find it gone. "Did you see that?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lupin replied softly, peering into the darkness and searching for movement. "Are you now finally going to believe me that we're not alone?"

_Or perhaps we're simply both on the way to insanity now._

"I suppose if someone wanted Harry to come here that certain someone might be waiting here for him," Lupin said. "And to me that looked like a person standing there and watching us."

"But why just stand around watching instead of confronting us?" Severus asked.

"I don't know," Lupin muttered. "There," he suddenly said. "Light. I really hope that's the edge of the forest and not just another clearing."

He started walking faster and Severus followed him. A minute later they'd finally left the woods behind and found themselves facing a vast landscape with countless small grassy hills stretching out towards the horizon.

  


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[i] _from 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge  
  
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I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you so much to all those who left a review; Snivellus aka Heather Granger, SSC, PPP, mnemosynem, lavondyss21, Anne O'Nimous, IntelEwok, AmZ, Ronnie, duj, Athena Keating-Thomas, greengirlblue, Makrillit, LinZE, Aku Maru, b7-kerravon, Magi, Nomad1.

Thank you, I really appreciate it. I'm glad to know that you're still reading and that there are some new readers as well. I'm trying to update more frequently but unfortunately I've been very busy lately so I don't have as much time for writing as I'd like to...


	15. The House

The House

"No more trees at least," Lupin said as he peered into the distance, searching for the house they'd seen in the painting. "It has to be somewhere behind the hills."

Severus was barely listening. Instead he concentrated on the whispering voice that was calling his name again. This time though it sounded clearer and much too real for him to still believe that it was just inside his head. And it seemed to be coming from right behind those trees only a few steps away.

Slowly he turned around and started walking back towards the trees, following the voice. As soon as he'd entered the forest it became pitch black around him again with the mighty trees blocking even the slightest bit of moonlight from reaching the ground.

His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and suddenly he saw a tall dark figure standing right in front of him. Severus pulled out his wand and when he raised his arm the stranger turned around to face him.

Their eyes met and he froze.

"It's not there," Severus whispered to himself. "Not there, not there, not there," he repeated and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them again, the man was still there, smirking at him.

"Seeing things, Severus? Hearing voices?" he asked in a cold voice. "Seems like you've turned into a full-blown lunatic after all. But that doesn't really come as a surprise to anyone, does it?"

"You're not there," Severus repeated, hoping to be able to make him go away by saying it once more. "You're dead and gone."

"Well, you've always been a bit slow," he replied. "Obviously comes from your mother's side of the family."

Severus felt his hand starting to shake and tightened his grip around his wand, keeping it pointed at the man in front of him.

"Don't you dare even think about using that wand against me, my son," the man said in a low and dangerous voice, his black eyes glittering with anger. "Don't you dare."

Part of him wanted to do just that, part of him didn't. Especially because he was quite sure that any curse he'd cast at him couldn't hit him anyway; because he wasn't even there. He couldn't be. He was dead.

"But no, you wouldn't," the man said and shook his head. "You're still the same little coward; never talk back, never resist. You'd better put that wand down now; I'm convinced you wouldn't want me angry at you."

"I'm not afraid of you," Severus said in a low voice, sounding a lot less convincing than he'd hoped.

"Oh, you're not?" the other man replied mockingly and slowly took a step towards him. All of a sudden he raised his left arm and stretched out his hand towards him. Even though he wasn't even carrying a wand Severus suddenly felt himself being hit by an invisible force strong enough to throw him backwards through the air. His right shoulder hit the strong branch of a giant pine-tree, he dropped his wand and landed on his back on the ground.

"Pathetic," the other man muttered.

"What exactly are you doing there?"

Severus turned his head when he heard Lupin's voice from his left and when he looked back to where the man had been standing, he was gone.

Lupin stepped closer and held a hand out to him. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yes," Severus replied curtly and got up from the ground without accepting the helping hand that had been offered to him.

"Do you think you could possibly explain to me why you're lying around on the forest floor?" Lupin asked as Severus set off to find his wand.

_Of course I can explain it. I just met my father and had a little chat with him; which would already have been enough of a surprise if he hadn't been dead for quite a few years now._ _And that's exactly what I definitely _won't_ tell you because if I did you'd believe I'd gone insane. And you'd probably be right._

He found his wand and picked it up again.

"So?" Lupin asked.

"Just forget about it," Severus replied.

"I definitely won't," Lupin said. "Did you see something? That man we saw in the forest?"

"There's no one else here, just you and me."

"Back in the forest I saw him too. In this darkness my vision easily beats that of an average human being. He _was_ there. I know what I saw."

"Are you so sure about that? Then what about the rest of your overdeveloped senses?" Severus asked. "Did you hear him? Did you smell him? No. Because there was nothing there." With that said he started walking again. "Let's move on."

Lupin sighed and followed him. "And where to?" he asked. "There's nothing but grass and hills as far as the eye can see."

"Why don't you suggest the way and then we simply take the opposite direction?"

"You're not too familiar with the idea of talking to people _without_ constantly insulting them, are you?" Lupin asked. "Let's take this way," he added and started walking without giving Snape the time to reply.

Severus didn't move. "Perhaps we should split up," he said.

"No, we should _not_," Lupin replied, coming to a halt again. "Because if we did it would render the whole concept of not going in here alone useless. So if you insist on taking a different way, I'll come along."

"I'm fine with whatever you decide," Severus replied, very obviously not meaning it, and set off into the exact direction Lupin had suggested.

Remus sighed deeply and then followed him out of the forest again and towards the hills.

As soon as they'd left the woods behind and climbed the first hill Lupin realised that the darkness around them had lost most of its intensity. He looked up and saw a nearly full moon hanging low in a starless sky. It couldn't be a full moon; he knew very well that it was still almost two weeks away. Nowhere near to a full moon.

"That's not a full moon, is it?" Lupin asked nonetheless.

"No," Severus replied after taking a quick look into the sky as well.

"Are you sure?"

"If it was I suppose I'd have noticed by now," Severus replied absent-mindedly while peering into the distance. "Whenever you're done marvelling at the moon though,you might want to turn your attention to this..." he added in a low voice.

Lupin followed his gaze and saw a small soft light shining through the fog and darkness from far away.

"That has to be coming from the house," he said.

"It might," Severus said.

"Perhaps we should give apparating there a chance now," Lupin suggested.

"Good idea."

"Watch it, you actually said something to me without insulting me," Lupin replied and pulled out his wand.

"I know. I'm tired."

Lupin smiled faintly. "I'll go first," he said and stared into the distance out of narrowed eyes for another second, focusing on the light. Then he disappeared from the spot where he'd been standing.

The very same second Severus heard the ominous crack of bursting wood, turned his head and couldn't hide a smile as he saw Lupin half falling, half jumping out of a dead tree not too far away.

"What were you looking for up there?" he called over to him.

"Very funny," Lupin replied as he started walking back towards him.

"You _do _know how to apparate, don't you?"

"Just go ahead and do it better," Lupin replied.

"That shouldn't be too hard."

Only a few seconds later he found out that actually it was. At least Fate had been kind and hadn't let him end up in a tree. But since he'd apparated only about a hundred feet away from where he'd been standing he couldn't have claimed to have been a lot more successful than Lupin either.

"I'm very impressed," Lupin said. "I suppose now we can both agree that we'll have to walk."

"That looks like a long walk," Severus muttered to himself.

"I'd never have thought that you're so lazy."

"I'm not lazy."

"Yeah, right," Lupin muttered as he set off.

"What was the reason again that we're searching for that house?" Severus asked as he started walking as well.

"No one's come up with a better idea yet, that's why."

"Then let me have another look at the book."

Lupin pulled the book from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed it to him. "Let me know if you should come across anything interesting."

Severus continued walking while he opened the book on the page with the drawing of the house. When he looked up at the landscape ahead of them again he realised that the drawing looked exactly like what he was seeing in front of him; so at least they should be heading in the right direction.

He decided to give his translation skills another try but soon had to admit that while not knowing what half of the words meant he wouldn't get far; not without a dictionary. He was beginning to regret that he'd simply dismissed the meaning of that incantation as unimportant and stuffed the book into one of his coat's pockets.

"Any luck?" Lupin asked a few minutes later.

"Don't you believe I'd have mentioned that? Or would you and your infamous Latin skills rather like to take a look at it yourself?"

"I'm just trying to talk to you," Lupin replied. "I'd have started a conversation about the bloody weather but most unfortunately there's no weather around to talk about."

"You might not have noticed it yet, but I'm not really the communicative type. Even less so in the middle of the night."

"Very well; if that's really what makes you happy I'll keep my mouth shut now."

Severus wasn't too sure if it would make him a lot happier. Actually right now the only thing that helped to lighten his mood was the thought that this time Potter would finally have to bear the consequences for his actions. Not only had he once again acted in a most irresponsible way but this time he'd also practised the Dark Arts. And that was something Dumbledore couldn't let him get away with.

They walked on in silence for at least an hour. Severus didn't even notice that he wasn't hearing that voice anymore; he was too busy keeping all those memories under control that were suddenly coming back to him. He hadn't even as much as wasted a thought on his father in years and he couldn't explain to himself why he had to start doing so right now.

They climbed up hill after hill and then, all of a sudden, there it was – the house. It had been over half an hour since they'd last seen a weak flicker of light that could have showed them the right direction. Severus had already pretty much given up hope of ever finding it and now he was almost surprised to see it there right in front of him, quiet and peaceful, as if it had only been waiting for him.

It was a very old house and it seemed as if it had been many years since it had last seen a tenant – if ever. Somehow it didn't look like a house anyone would live in, it didn't even look like a house anyone could ever build. It seemed to be part of the landscape, something that had grown right out of the ground, just like the trees of the small forest it bordered on.

"Looks like we finally found it," Lupin said in a low voice while standing on top of the hill and looking down at the old house.

"And now?" Severus asked.

"Well, I'd suggest we go in and find out what mysterious secret is hiding in there."

_Dust, spiders and mice most likely, neither secret nor mysterious._

"Agree?" Lupin asked.

"Now that we're already here..." Severus muttered and started slowly walking down the hill.

"Wait," Lupin kept him back. "Everything's dark, no light in the house."

As if by command two of the dark windows lit up, casting a flickering yellowish glow through the fog.

"Might be Harry, might be someone else."

"We'd better try not to be seen," Severus said. "Let's walk around there," he added, gesturing to his left. "From there we can approach the house in the cover of the trees."

They reached the house only a few minutes later. It was bigger than it had seemed at first and the cloud of fog hovering around the dark wood panelled building added to its impressive appearance.

Light was coming from three high windows on the ground floor as well as from a small window up in the attic. They saw a shadowy figure walking past one of the windows and both of them instinctively took a step backwards to make sure they remained well hidden in the shadow of the trees. A second person joined the first one, they stood next to each other for a moment and then vanished from sight again.

"It didn't look as if one of them was Harry," Lupin whispered. "And even if it was, who was the other one?"

"Let's find out who we're dealing with here," Severus muttered as he left the protective trees behind and walked over to the house. Lupin followed him.

Severus stood next to the rightmost window, took a quick glance into the room and saw two men standing at the bottom of the stairs, talking. It was enough to prove his first impression to be true that those shadowy figures had seemed quite familiar to him.

"Malfoy," Lupin whispered after recognising the man as well and stepped back from the window again. "Thought he was hiding somewhere."

"Perfect place to hide, isn't it," Severus replied.

"Do you know the other one?"

Severus nodded, turned away and went back to the trees, motioning Lupin to follow. Once he was sure they were hidden from sight he came to a halt, leaned back against one of the mighty trees and thoughtfully looked up into the starless dark sky. Lupin stood in front of him and gave him a questioning look.

"Zodec Thesdale," Severus answered his silent question. "Some moron, as officious as he is incompetent, works in the Ministry."

"So You-Know-Who has his hands in this," Lupin said.

"Most probably," Severus replied. "We had to expect that."

"Do you believe they have Harry?"

"If not yet then they're at least trying to get hold of him."

"And what do you think we should do now?" Lupin asked. "We'll have to find out what they're up to."

"We have two options; either we try to get in there unnoticed or I'll just knock on the door and ask them."

Lupin ran a hand through his hair, thinking about it for a moment. "We might be able to lure them outside and then get into the house to see if Harry's in there."

Severus shook his head. "No, trying to sneak in is not an option." He was convinced they'd be caught if they tried to and then there'd be no way out for either of them.

"You just said it was."

"Well, I changed my mind," Severus replied. "I'll go alone."

"They just might wonder what you're doing here," Lupin said.

Severus shrugged his shoulders. "Dumbledore sent me after Potter."

"Alone?"

"They won't doubt it. You'll best stay right here," Severus said and glanced around the surrounding trees. "Don't do anything stupid or heroic. Because if they get you, you're dead. And after they've killed you they'd probably start asking me some uncomfortable questions about what you were doing here."

Lupin sighed. "And how long exactly do you want me to just sit here and do nothing?"

"'Til I get back."

"And what if..."

"Think about all that when it happens," Severus interrupted him.

"Very well; good luck then," Lupin said as he sat down on the ground and leaned back against a tree. "And make sure you don't forget that I'm waiting out here."

"I'll try to," Severus muttered in reply and set off towards the house again.

He had no doubts that Malfoy would buy his story – he always did. The only thing that worried him was that Lupin wouldn't do as he'd told him. Those blasted Gryffindors never listened; they always thought they knew better.

As he walked around the house and up to the front door he had that feeling again that there was someone watching him. And by now he also thought that he knew who it was. He'd felt that look on him many times before; those cold eyes, watching every move he made, patiently waiting for him to do something wrong, to fail. And he couldn't remember one time when that patience hadn't been rewarded.

He stepped up to the door, raised his hand and knocked. For a moment there was silence and he contemplated whether this had really been such a brilliant idea. Then he heard hurried footsteps from inside the house, accompanied by hushed voices. Suddenly the door flew open and he found himself confronted with Thesdale who was pointing his wand straight between his eyes.

"You?" the younger wizard said disbelievingly. "How did you... What are _you_ doing here?"

"Would you mind taking that wand out of my face?" Severus replied.

Thesdale didn't react but was quickly shoved out of the way by Lucius Malfoy who'd been hiding behind the door until now.

"I should really have expected you to show up here sooner or later," Malfoy greeted him.

"And I should have expected you to be involved in this," Severus replied.

Malfoy gave him a smug smile. "Please, do come in," he said and stepped aside to allow him into the house. "This place is a bit run down, not quite what I'm used to. But then it's not much worse than your dungeons either, is it?"

_I happen to like my dungeons._ "Yes," Severus replied softly and followed him along the corridor into what had probably once been the living room, Zodec Thesdale still at his heels. There was a fire in the fireplace and compared to outside it was pleasantly warm in here.

"Thesdale, go and do something useful," Malfoy said and the younger man immediately obeyed and disappeared down the corridor again.

"So," Malfoy said, turning to Snape again. "Did the old headmaster send you after the boy then?" he asked and motioned him to take a seat.

"Yes, he did," Severus replied. He thought about taking off his coat but then remembered that he still had the book in his pocket and decided against it; he didn't want to leave it lying around, they might still need it after all. "Whom else would he send out searching in the middle of the night?" he added and sat down in an armchair that didn't look quite as dusty as the others.

"Yes, those are the things he got himself his little spy for," Malfoy said. "You'll be delighted to hear that your search is over now."

"You have the boy?"

Malfoy smiled at him. "Yes, of course we do," he replied. "Can I offer you anything? I happened to find some bottles of excellent wine in the kitchen."

_Pity you're not drunk yet, it would have made things a lot easier._ He didn't want any but still accepted the glass of red wine that was handed to him.

"I have to admit that I'd never thought it would be so easy. Basically all we had to do was to wait for him to walk in here," Malfoy said as he sat down on the sofa opposite from him.

"You could have spared me a long walk by letting me know what you were up to a little sooner."

"We didn't know much sooner either," he replied. "All this was Thesdale's little plan."

Severus frowned at him. At least that would explain what someone like Thesdale was doing here in the first place.

"I know what you think," Malfoy said. "But it seems that once in a lifetime even such a moron can come up with quite a brilliant idea."

"How did he do it?"

"He sent him a hexed book. By owl," Malfoy replied. "That little idiot Potter believed it was a birthday present and walked right into the trap."

"Yes; we found the book," Severus said. "But he wasn't the one who hexed it, was he?"

Malfoy shook his head. "No, he wouldn't be capable of that. That book had been classified a dangerous magical artefact and had been confiscated years ago. Apparently a few people who played around with it vanished and were never seen again."

"And Thesdale stole it from the Ministry," Severus said.

"Yes. Apparently he'd developed some interest in that book a while ago already. Now he'd finally figured out enough about how it worked to be able to alter a few details so he gave it a try and sent it on it's way."

"He didn't have any help?" Severus asked and became aware how desperately he was trying to fit Eliza Dobberstein somewhere into the picture. He just couldn't stand the woman. And he'd always been able to rely on his instincts – he was convinced that there had to be something wrong about her. And it was _not_ because he was jealous; he hadn't liked her from the moment he'd first set eyes on her.

Malfoy shook his head. "All on his own. More than anyone would have expected from him, isn't it?"

"Without our master's knowledge?"

"For most of the time, yes. And I'm convinced he'll pay for _that_ little mistake once this is over," Malfoy replied. "Right now we'll just have to wait until we can hand over the boy to the Dark Lord."

Severus watched Malfoy out of narrowed eyes. "I assume _you_ know how to get away from here again?" he asked.

"Not exactly," Malfoy said. "I'm not even sure if there _is_ a way to get out of here without outside help. We're waiting for the others to set up a portal for us."

"I see," Severus replied and let his eyes wander through the room, trying to memorise anything that might possibly be useful. "So where is he? Potter?"

Malfoy smiled coldly. "I suppose you'd like to have a word with him too, don't you?"

"After five years of having to watch him strutting through the castle, of having to swallow his insolent behaviour – you have no idea how much."

Malfoy's smile grew even broader. "He's upstairs," he said and stood up. "I'll show you."

Severus put his glass down onto the table, got up and followed him back out onto the corridor and up the stairs.

"We put him up in the attic," Malfoy explained as he walked past paintings and wooden doors towards another staircase leading up from the ground floor and some narrow stairs leading further up. "He was making quite a fuss, broke the windows and took the furniture to pieces. But a little hit over the head took good care of that."

They reached the third floor and Malfoy pulled a silver chain with a key out of his pocket. He unlocked the door, let it swing open and stepped aside to allow Severus a look inside.

What he saw truly was a scene of destruction – there were shards of glass everywhere, a shelf had fallen over and scattered its contents all over the wooden floor and there were pieces of wood lying around.

And in the middle of it all, there was Potter. Not the arrogant, proud and insolent Potter; right now he was just a helpless kid, bound, blindfolded and obviously more or less unconscious.

"Are you sure you didn't kill him?" Severus asked.

"Not to worry, he's all right," Malfoy replied and walked past him across the room to stand next to the boy lying motionless on the floor. He looked down at him for a moment and then prodded him with his boot. He didn't show any reaction so he kicked him a bit harder, the boy groaned softly and Malfoy looked up and smiled. "See? He's fine."

"Good for you," Severus replied and slowly took a few steps towards him; he knew as well as Malfoy did that the Dark Lord wanted the boy _alive_.

"Otherwise I'd have blamed it on Thesdale."

_Or on me._ "Where is he anyway?"

"Outside, I suppose. Searching for intruders." Malfoy had said it in a way that made clear that he didn't expect him to find any and Severus just hoped Lupin wouldn't grow impatient and leave his hiding place.

"I'll go back downstairs to wait for our portal; it would be about time," Malfoy said and handed him the key on the silver chain. "Do with him what you want, just make sure he'll survive it," he added, winked at him and left, pulling the door closed behind him.

Severus waited and listened to Malfoy's footsteps on the stairs. For a moment he looked down at Potter still lying motionless on the floor, then he walked across the room to the window, the floorboards creaking softly beneath his steps.

He peered out into the darkness, hoping to see Thesdale somewhere out there but then was glad when he didn't; because if he'd seen him from up here it would have meant he'd gotten too close to where Lupin was. Although he'd have preferred to know where exactly Thesdale was he decided he'd just have to rely on Malfoy's word.

Severus turned around again and folded his arms. "Potter," he said softly, but the boy didn't react. "Potter!" he said again, louder this time, but still there was no reaction.

Severus stood looking down at him, for a moment undecided about what to do. "Stop faking, Potter, I know you can hear me," he said in a low voice.

The boy moved his head a little and then tried to move his arms, obviously not aware that his wrists were bound behind his back. Reluctantly Severus knelt down next to him and reached out to remove the blindfold from his eyes. The boy flinched at his touch and as soon as the blindfold had been taken off, his eyes snapped open and he stared at his unexpected visitor, for a few seconds seeming to not even realise who he was.

"Good morning, Potter," Severus said. "I don't have much time so better start your brains going again now."

"You..." he whispered and blinked a few times.

"Yes, me," Severus replied. "Malfoy's downstairs so I can't simply take you out of here without risking my own well-being which is something I definitely don't intend to do. That means I'll have to leave the heroic rescue to Lupin."

"He's here?" Harry asked in a raspy voice and slowly tried to sit up.

"Do you know if they used any sort of charm to guard you?" Severus asked instead of answering his question. "Did you see either of them using any magic at all?"

"No," he whispered and shook his head. "They can't. No one can, it... it doesn't seem to work here."

"What about this?" Severus asked, gesturing at the room. "Wandless?"

"Yeah... I sometimes do that when... when I get angry," Harry replied and flinched at the sudden pain that shot through his arm and shoulder.

"Where's your wand?"

"I... lost it, outside," he replied. "There was... I saw him. He was there. He spoke to me. Sirius."

Under normal circumstances Severus would probably have declared the boy insane, but after what he himself had seen in the forest, he wasn't so sure.

Severus simply nodded. "Now Potter, for once in your life simply listen and do as you're told: I'll go back downstairs now. Give me about twenty minutes and then make some noise, shout or destroy something, just make sure someone has to come up here to look after you. Once they know for sure that you're still up here I'll arrange for Lupin to be able to get inside the house and fetch you. Understood?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"Good," Severus said more to himself while examining the piece of black fabric in his hand that seemed to have once been part of Potter's cloak. "What's the blindfold for?"

"They believed I could control it, the wandless magic. They thought if I didn't see them I couldn't do anything to them."

For a moment Severus just stood there, staring at the floor and thinking; he truly hated having to rely on others, especially on someone like Potter. "I'll have to put that back on," he said and Harry nodded and allowed him to tie the blindfold over his eyes again. As soon as he was done with that Severus stood up again and cast another glance at the window. "Now lie down on the floor again, try to look as miserable as you can and pretend you didn't even recognise me."

Harry hesitated for a moment. "They know that if I escaped," he said slowly, "I'd tell Dumbledore that you were here..."

"Let that be my worry," Severus cut him off. "Now just do as you're told. Twenty minutes." With that said he turned around and strode across the room, not giving the boy the chance to say another word. He pulled the door closed behind him, locked it and walked down the stairs again.

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AN: Thank you to everyone for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.

Silverthreads: Thank you for your review :) I'm glad you liked it, I hope you'll keep enjoying it

Snape Girl1: Thank you for your review :) I'm glad that you think I succeeded it making it seem spooky, I hope you liked this chapter too

duj: Thank you for your review :) I'm glad you liked the last chapter, I hope you liked this one as well. Harry's found and I'll probably explain about the Hogsmeade issue next chapter so I hope you'll keep reading ;)

PPP: Thank you for your review :) I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I think you're right about Lupin calling Voldemort by his name but as you said I suppose he's polite enough not to do so in front of Snape.

mg08: Thank you for your review :) I hope you liked this chapter as well.

IntelEwok: Thank you for your review :) I'll explain what they have in common in the next chapters, you're quite right about the permission form. I hope you'll keep enjoying the story.

Magi: Thank you for your review :) I'm glad you liked it, I hope I'll be able to keep you interested.

Makrillit: Thank you for your review :) I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, I hope you liked this one as well.

DietCokeLemon: Thank you for your review :) (the other one as well) I'm glad you liked the story so far, I hope you'll keep enjoying it. The simple reason it took me so long to reach my plot is that I didn't really have one for quite some time, I'm glad that you enjoyed it nonetheless. Best of luck with your exams, I have mine coming up as well...


	16. Escape

Escape

When Severus returned to the living room he found Malfoy sitting there again on the sofa next to the fireplace, staring down into his glass of wine as if searching for the meaning of life in there. He quickly decided that Malfoy wouldn't bother to think about something like the meaning of life and was probably only extremely bored.

"I'm afraid you might have hit him a little too hard," Severus said and Malfoy looked up. "He didn't even seem to recognise me."

"Pity," Malfoy replied. "It would have been more fun if he'd realised what's happening to him."

There was a slight drawl in his voice indicating that he'd already had a little more of that wine than what would have been advisable. But Severus knew he could take quite a lot so it wouldn't help much.

"Indeed," he said, slowly walked across the room and stood in front of the window for a moment to look outside into the darkness. "Still no word from the others?"

"No. I'd just like to know what's keeping them; we should have been out of here hours ago."

"How is it supposed to work?" Severus asked, turned around again and threw a quick glance through the half open door into the next room. As he'd expected, there was another door as well as a back staircase leading up to the first floor.

"This," Malfoy said, leaned forward and picked up a small golden pocket watch from the table in front of him. "This is our portkey. But it won't work unless someone opens a portal first. As soon as the hands on this little watch start moving, we're good to go." He leaned back again and cast a look around the room. "Where's Thesdale? He can't still be stumbling around out there..."

"I'll get him," Severus said quickly and tossed the silver chain with the key back to Malfoy who caught it with one hand. "I wanted to get some fresh air anyway."

"Good," Malfoy muttered to himself. "I'm getting tired of running after him..."

Severus turned away, walked along the corridor and left the house through the front door. As soon as he'd stepped outside he spotted Thesdale not too far away and slowly walking back towards the house. At least he wouldn't have to search for him – he had no time for that. Severus folded his arms and waited.

"Malfoy wants you inside," he said once Thesdale was close enough to hear him. In addition he shot the younger man an annoyed glare to make him walk faster.

As soon as he was back inside and the front door had fallen closed behind him again, Severus started walking around the house and towards the small forest.

He spotted Lupin before he'd even reached the first trees.

"Didn't I tell you to wait _back there_?" Severus asked in a low voice.

Lupin jumped and whirled around upon hearing his voice.

"There must be something wrong with your ears if you didn't even hear me approaching," Severus said.

"I already thought you'd never show up again," Lupin replied in a low voice.

"Time flies when you're having fun," Severus said and took a few more steps further into the small forest. "They're keeping Potter up in the attic. You'll have to go in and get him while I keep Malfoy and Thesdale entertained. The door to the attic is locked, I'll make sure you get the key."

"Severus?" Lupin asked slowly. "In the forest, what did you see? Who was that man?"

"There was no one there, I told you that."

"I saw something. While you were gone. And I know I didn't imagine it."

Severus hesitated for a moment, remembering what Potter had told him about seeing his godfather and wondering how likely it was that they'd all simply started imagining things at the same time. "What did you see?" he asked.

Lupin stared at the ground without saying a word, obviously contemplating once more if he really didn't simply imagine it. "I'm not sure," he said. "But I think I know who it was. It was someone who's been dead for many years already."

"A ghost," Severus said.

"No, it wasn't a ghost."

"Lupin, if you're seeing dead people they're either ghosts or products of your imagination. Choose whichever you feel more comfortable with."

"I wasn't a ghost. And I didn't imagine it," Lupin replied. "I'm not an idiot, Severus. I know what I saw."

Severus took a deep breath. "Then tell me, if not a ghost, what was it you saw?" he asked calmly.

"I believe that it was a manifestation of whoever – or _whatever_ – has been following us and watching us all this time," Lupin replied. "Don't tell me you didn't sense it too."

They stood in silence for a moment, then Snape spoke again. "Even if you _were_ right...," he said in a low voice.

"I know," Lupin interrupted him. "Now is not the time. I just thought you should know."

"Good," Severus said. "We'll have to concentrate on our job now. I expect we'll have to get along without magic."

"Wandless seems to work fine," Lupin said. "I tried it."

"And are you capable of performing any sort of very useful wandless magic?" Severus asked, expecting to already know the answer.

"Well – no, not really," Lupin replied.

"I thought so. I'll go back now to see where Malfoy and Thesdale are. If they're out of the way you'll follow me, go around there on the right to the back door and wait for me there. I'll give you the key, you go upstairs, get Potter, lock the door again and hand the key back to me."

"Frankly speaking – that doesn't sound like a very sophisticated plan."

"I didn't exactly have a lot of time for making plans and I suppose you don't have a better one either, do you?"

"No, I suppose not."

"Well then," Severus said and pulled the book out of his coat's pocket to hand it to Lupin. "You might need it," he said and started walking. Lupin took the book and followed him but stopped at a safe distance to watch Snape walking up to the house.

Severus walked around the back of the building, past the door that led into the kitchen and to a window from where he could look through the dining room and into the living room. He was pleased to see Malfoy still sitting in his place while Thesdale was leaning against the wall next to the door. He went back to the corner from where Lupin could see him, motioned him to come and then headed for the front door without waiting for him to arrive.

As he walked along the wall of the building Severus realised once more how incredibly silent this place was; he was convinced that he could hear not only his own footsteps on the grass but also Lupin's from somewhere behind him.

"I'm impressed," he heard a voice say as he reached the front of the house. For a split second he'd thought it was Malfoy but was immediately taught better when he turned his head and saw the man in the black cloak standing a few steps away from him, arms folded, smirking. Severus was surprised that he'd never before noticed how much alike their voices sounded; the same patronizing tone, the same arrogance. "I'm impressed that you actually seem to believe you were clever enough to go through with this."

"You're not there," Severus whispered to himself. "Not now. I have no time for this."

"It's becoming complicated, isn't it? If you're playing too many games at once, you'll lose them all."

Severus stared at him. He _was_ there. Standing right in front of him. No doubt about it. And that wasn't a ghost. So he was obviously going insane. Fine. He could live with the idea. Just _not_ _right now_. Right now he had to get Potter back to Hogwarts safe and sound. For all he cared they could put him in a straitjacket and send him to St. Mungo's after that. But _not now_.

"The ice is getting thinner, my son. You're not a good enough liar to survive as a traitor among them."

He'd always hated it when he'd called him 'my son'. And he'd almost forgotten how cold and spiteful those words could sound; Dumbledore had occasionally addressed him like that, but it had never sounded anything like it had when coming from his father's lips.

"I've managed very well so far," Severus said in a low voice, more to himself.

"And why are you actually still carrying around that permission form? Didn't I tell you to throw it away? You weren't even a good enough liar to get through with _that_ little trick."

"Just stop it," Severus hissed. "I don't care what you say. You're not even there. It's just my mind playing tricks on me."

"And yet you're talking to me, or are you not?"

"No, I'm not. At least not any longer," Severus said, turned away and walked back to the front door without looking back again.

As he entered the house again he heard loud footsteps on the stairs, Potter screaming at the top of his lungs and then Malfoy shouting "Shut up you little bastard or I'll make you".

Severus just hoped Malfoy wouldn't. He walked along the corridor, across the living room and into the kitchen, took a quick look around and then opened the door.

Lupin almost jumped in surprise. "That was quick," he whispered as he stepped inside.

"Wait in there, I'll get the key," Severus said and pushed him towards a narrow door leading into a pantry. "You'll go up those stairs, get him and then either wait for me to tell you that you can leave or simply leave if you're convinced it's safe. Just don't forget to make sure that I get the key back."

"And then what about you?"

"I'd suggest you head back into the direction we came from. I might be able to catch up with you, we'll see about that later."

Lupin nodded and as he stepped into the small dark room he could already hear Malfoy and Thesdale walking down the other staircase again.

"Don't make a sound and keep your fingers crossed that Malfoy won't decide to get himself another bottle of wine," Severus said and then went back to the living room.

Lupin definitely had no intention of making any sound at all. He actually even held his breath when he heard Malfoy's voice from the living room, then Snape's. Their voices were low and subdued but nonetheless he could understand every word they said.

"You missed the show. The little bastard made quite a fuss up there."

"Did he really?"

Lupin glanced around the small room. There was a shelf filled with jars behind him from which he tried to maintain a safe distance, another shelf and a wine shelf on the opposite wall. On the wall to his left there was a pile of wooden boxes, some paintings leaning against them, a broken chair, some folded up curtains and a giant candle stand, everything covered in a layer of dust.

"First he was just yelling for help but then he started truly _begging_ me to let him go. You should have heard him; what a wimp."

Lupin listened intently; he heard the creak of springs caused by someone sitting down on a sofa or an armchair, a soft metallic jingle and slow footsteps on the wooden floorboards. He was quite sure that the footsteps were Snape's so he assumed that Malfoy was the one who'd sat down.

"What did you expect from a Potter?"

Lupin knew that Snape didn't have to pretend in order to sound so convincingly spiteful and arrogant whenever he spoke about either James or Harry.

"They're all the same," Malfoy said. "All those Gryffindors. As brave and strong as they might seem on first sight, they quickly turn into weak and whining cowards when things get serious."

There was a moment of silence, then Snape's footsteps again.

"Go ahead, Thesdale, sit down," said Snape. "It's annoying to have you standing around there all the time."

"He's right," said Malfoy. "We've done our job so just sit down now and have a glass of wine with us. After all, it was _your_ plan, wasn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose you're right," a third, unfamiliar voice replied.

"Oh – bad luck," Malfoy said. "Seems we've already emptied this one."

"I'll get another one," Snape said and a moment later Lupin heard his footsteps moving towards him. The door to the kitchen opened, Snape set only one foot inside and reached for a green bottle standing on the table next to the door. The moment he picked it up he let a silver chain with a key drop onto the table. Lupin made a step forward and for a split second their eyes met before Snape returned to the living room.

Severus pulled the kitchen door closed behind him, handed Thesdale the bottle and sat down in his armchair again. He watched the younger man pouring himself a glass of wine and then putting the bottle back onto the table, right next to the coat which Severus had placed there just a minute ago to keep Malfoy from noticing that the key to the attic wasn't there anymore.

"I was wondering," Malfoy started and Severus just hoped he wasn't wondering about the energy he suddenly showed when it came to things like searching for Thesdale or fetching stuff from the kitchen. "How did you actually get here?"

"The same way as Potter, I suppose," Severus replied. "I found the book and read the incantation, as simple as that."

"Do you have the book?" Thesdale asked but Malfoy immediately shot him a glare that made clear he didn't expect him to speak without being asked again. Nonetheless he then turned to Snape, waiting for an answer.

"No," Severus said. "I dropped it, accidentally."

"So it's still in Hogwarts," Malfoy said. "Which means someone could have followed you. The old headmaster might have sent someone after you."

"Why should he?" Severus replied. "And moreover, I don't think anyone _could_ have followed me. Aside from me no one could even read that book."

"Just you and Potter," Malfoy said. "What an interesting coincidence, isn't it?"

"I suppose it is," Severus muttered absent mindedly while listening for any signs of Lupin and Potter.

Suddenly all the candles as well as the fire in the fireplace went out and left the room in complete darkness.

"Here we go again," Malfoy said, obviously not very surprised. "That's happening all the time, the lights will probably come back on in a minute."

"How long have you already been here?" Severus asked and glanced around the dark room. From the moment he'd first set foot into this house he hadn't felt very comfortable here and the darkness made this feeling even more intense; he almost had to fight the urge to just jump up and get out of here.

"Too long," Malfoy replied. "We were supposed to be out of here within five hours and we've already been waiting for..." he hesitated and then shrugged his shoulders. "There's not one working clock anywhere around here. You don't have one either, do you?"

"Unfortunately not."

"Pity," Malfoy said, paying no attention to all the candles suddenly flickering back to life. "At least ten hours, I assume. Probably even longer."

"So have you been waiting here for Potter to figure out how that book works?"

"No," Malfoy smiled and shook his head. "Luckily we didn't have to; it took him rather long, we might have had to sit around here for weeks. They sent us in as soon as he'd read the incantation."

Severus realised that it couldn't be right – Potter definitely couldn't have been gone longer than four hours before they went after him and even though he couldn't claim to have a very exact sense of time he knew that he hadn't been here six hours already. He didn't know what it meant but decided it wasn't necessary to mention it to Malfoy.

He stifled a yawn and turned to Thesdale who was sitting in an armchair to his right and still looking rather uncomfortable.

"So you set it all up?" he said softly. "I have to admit, I'm truly impressed."

The younger man's face immediately lit up and he seemed to beam with pride upon hearing something like that from a veteran Death Eater.

"I'm curious," Severus continued. "Why exactly _that_ painting? Is it linked to the book somehow?"

"No, not at all," Thesdale replied, throwing a quick glance at Malfoy to make sure he was at least allowed to answer this question. "It doesn't matter which painting, it could have been any."

"It's just our luck that we're not sitting in the middle of a blizzard or a sandy desert," Malfoy said. "If you want to call _this_ place here luck, that is."

Severus smiled at him, absent-mindedly and not meaning it, like he usually did whenever he was expected to. "I believe I saw a bottle of Gin in the kitchen," he muttered, put his glass down onto the table and stood up; Lupin should have been able to get Potter out by now so it was time for another visit to the kitchen.

"You'll have to learn to appreciate a good wine," Malfoy said.

"I do appreciate it," Severus replied. "But as you well know, wine always makes me tired and it's bad enough without that already." He hadn't even had to lie to him. Aside from the fact that he didn't really care about that Gin either.

Malfoy snorted and shook his head at him but didn't keep him back.

As soon as he'd opened the door to the kitchen he spotted the key on the table. Quickly he picked it up, took a half empty bottle of Gin from the shelf on the wall next to him and returned to the living room.

Malfoy was staring at his pocket watch portkey once again so Severus took his chance and quickly put the chain with the key back below his coat as he sat down again. He'd known that Thesdale wouldn't notice; he just didn't watch others the way Malfoy did. That was something he himself and Malfoy had in common; they both usually looked a little closer than others would, always paying attention to detail. That was also what made Lucius an opponent as interesting as he was dangerous.

Malfoy tossed the pocket watch back onto the table.

"Do you have any sort of alternative plan?" Severus asked. "Just in case the portkey shouldn't work?"

"Every portkey I ever set up worked exactly as it was supposed to," Malfoy snarled. "And so will this one."

"There's a first time for everything."

Malfoy shot him a glare. "It _will_ work," he hissed.

"Soon, I hope," Severus muttered to himself and, not wanting to risk making Malfoy's mood even worse, he decided not to linger on the subject.

He poured some of the Gin into his wineglass, took a sip from it and leaned back in his chair. Only now he noticed the head of a stuffed dead moose staring at him out of its empty eyes from the wall behind Malfoy. For a moment he pondered the resemblance of those two specimens but couldn't really spot any even though he'd tried.

He glanced around and saw even more of those dead animals he hadn't noticed before, all seeming to hide in the darkest corners of the room. Some of them were mounted to the wall while other, smaller ones were standing on the mantelpiece, in the glass cupboard and on the desk in the corner. Due to the nature of his job at Hogwarts he was quite used to being surrounded by all sorts of dead animals and other things most people would find rather disgusting; nonetheless, he didn't really like the ones staring at him right now.

"The boy's gone rather quiet," Malfoy muttered, breaking the silence.

"Good thing, isn't it?" Severus said.

"Probably," Malfoy replied. "Thesdale, go upstairs and see what he's doing."

"Don't you think you're being a little paranoid?" Severus asked but Thesdale had already stood up and was about to follow Malfoy's orders.

"Possible. But he's slipped through our fingers more than once before," Malfoy said and Thesdale set into motion.

Severus considered offering to go upstairs instead of him in order to gain a little more time for Lupin and Potter but decided against it because that would have made him the last person to have seen the boy. Now all he could do was to wait a few more seconds before Thesdale would realise what had happened and report Potter's disappearance to Malfoy.

And only moment later he already heard a door upstairs slam shut and Thesdale's loud footsteps as he rushed down the stairs again.

"He's gone!" he shouted even before he'd made it down the stairs. "Potter. He's gone," Thesdale said once more as he stormed back into the living room.

"What?!" Malfoy asked and jumped up from the sofa.

"He's not up there anymore," Thesdale said.

"The door was locked," Severus said, getting to his feet as well. "He couldn't get out."

"It was still locked now," Thesdale replied. "But the boy's gone."

Malfoy strode across the room, shoved Thesdale out of the way and quickly climbed up the stairs, Severus only two steps behind him.

A moment later they were both standing in the middle of a surprisingly – to Malfoy at least – empty room with no Harry Potter anywhere in sight. For a minute Malfoy just stood there, staring in disbelief at the empty spot where the boy should have been. Then he looked around the room as if trying to make sure he hadn't only overlooked him although that obviously wouldn't have been possible.

"Are you sure you locked the door?" Severus asked, trying not to sound accusing in any way – he knew better than to aggravate Malfoy now.

"Of course I locked the door! What kind of idiot do you think I am!" Malfoy shook his head. "I'm in trouble...," he muttered. "Do you have any idea how much trouble I'll be in for this?"

"_You_? Can you imagine what that means for _me_?" Severus asked. "What if he makes it back to Hogwarts? I'm sure Dumbledore would be _very_ interested in what he has to tell him about me."

"That boy wasn't in a state to realise what's going on around him," Malfoy replied. "You said it yourself, he probably didn't even recognise you."

"He didn't seem to be in a state to climb out of the window and run away either, did he?"

"We have to search for him. He probably didn't get far yet."

"We _have_ to find him," Severus said.

"Yes. Let's not waste any more time," Malfoy replied and left the room again. "We'll search the house first, he might still be in here somewhere," he added as he started walking down the stairs again.

Severus was rather pleased with how things were going so far. A bit more time for Lupin and Potter to get a little further away from the house wouldn't have done harm but since he intended to send Malfoy and Thesdale off into the wrong direction it would work out either way.

"So what shall we do now?" he heard Thesdale asking when he reached the ground floor again.

"Well, we could just sit here and wait for him to give up and come back," Malfoy said softly. "Or we could go and search for him. Now get going, you moron!" he hissed, grabbed the younger wizard by his arm and pushed him towards the kitchen door.

It took them only a few minutes to come to the conclusion that Potter wasn't inside the house anymore.

"We'll have to split up; he could be anywhere," Severus suggested after following the other two men outside. "Thesdale, you go into that direction, towards the trees," he added quickly and turned to Malfoy. "I'd suggest you just go straight ahead and I'll go around the house and take the opposite direction."

Malfoy nodded. "When you find him, bring him back here. Don't kill him," he said, looked back at the house once more and then started walking. Thesdale followed his example and set off towards the trees where Lupin had been hiding.

For a moment Severus stood there and watched them before he turned around and went back into the house to get his coat. Things had been easier than he'd have expected; now all he had to do was find Lupin and Potter. Well, and then he'd probably have to figure out how to get away from here again because he truly doubted those two had thought about that little detail yet.

Slowly he walked along the corridor and back into the living room. The moment he reached for his coat the lights in the room went out again. It startled him, although he should have expected it to happen again. This time though it seemed to be even darker than before, almost too dark to see anything. Only a second later the flames in the fireplace came back to life. The weak flickering light they cast into the room was enough to immediately make him notice that something about his surroundings had changed; he looked around and found that the sofa and the armchairs were gone as were the wooden floor, the carpets and the large windows.

He was standing in the middle of a large, dark dungeon room that seemed rather familiar to him although he hadn't seen it for many years. There were high shelves on each of the walls and the only thing still there from the living room were those dead stuffed animals, lurking in the shadows and watching him. Now he remembered them. He knew them well; they'd always kept him company and they'd always given him nightmares whenever he'd fallen asleep under their watchful eyes. That was when they'd come back to life just to slowly creep up to him while staring at him out of glowing red eyes.

"Where do you think you're going?"

He whirled around and found himself face to face with his father.

"I...," he said slowly, glancing around the room in search of the way out. "I'm leaving."

"Oh no, you're not," his father replied in a dead calm voice. "You're not going anywhere. First you're going to explain a few things to me."

Out of nowhere he produced some sheets of paper and held them up in front of his face. "An E. An E in Transfigurations and an E in Potions," he said, crumpled up the papers and let them drop onto the floor. "Exceeds Expectations. _Whose_, I wonder? Not mine, I tell you that!"

Severus just stared at him, caught in this deja-vu without being able to say a word. Standing in front of his father now, here in this room, he suddenly felt like a twelve-year-old again.

"What's wrong with you?" his father asked, glaring down at him. "Are you so amazingly stupid or simply lazy? Is that a way to repay all the time I wasted on teaching you? Is it?"

Severus swallowed hard.

"_Is it?_" his father asked once more, leaning towards him and staring straight into his eyes.

"No, sir," Severus whispered.

"Now if you wouldn't waste your time forging signatures and scampering through Hogsmeade you might not even have failed so piteously, don't you think?"

"Yes, sir," he whispered in reply. "But..."

"Be quiet! There are no excuses!"

"But I really tried..."

"You tried! _Trying _is _not_ satisfactory!" his father shouted. "It obviously takes you a little longer to learn things so you shall have as much time as you need now. You'll read those books again, you'll make those potions again and you'll practise your Transfiguration spells. And I don't care how long it takes you but you won't leave this room until you succeed. Am I understood?"

Severus said nothing.

"Do you understand me!" his father asked once more. "Or are you just too stupid!"

Severus just stared at him. He could feel the clamminess of the dungeon and he could smell the stale air. This room seemed more real to him than anything else he'd seen in this place so far. And then it suddenly clicked in his brain and he began to understand.

"No," he said in a low voice.

"What did you say?"

"I said 'no'. I did understand very well, but I won't do it. I'm not a kid anymore, I'm not afraid of you and you can't tell me what to do."

His father smiled coldly. "I know you are, son. You're still afraid of me."

"No, I'm not," Severus replied calmly. "There's nothing you can do to me. You're not real, nothing here is. You're dead. And this house burnt down years ago. You're only here because I make you be."

Around him the candles lit up again, one after another. He turned his head and saw that the windows were there again as well as the chairs, the table and the rest of the living room. Quickly he grabbed his coat from the table and headed for the front door, walking past his father without even looking at him.

"You're _not_ leaving! You'll stay right here!" his father called after him. "I'm talking to you! You can't just walk away from me like that! Never!"

Severus took a deep breath and walked on. He strode along the corridor, slammed the door shut behind him and set off into the cold night.

* * *

  
  
Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it. Thank you especially to everyone who reviewed, I really do appreciate it :) I have my exams (second try) coming up in four weeks which is keeping me rather busy so I might not be able to post my next chapter before that, but I definitely intend to finish this story. At least as long as someone's still reading it ;) 


	17. Back To The Known

Back To The Known

It didn't take him long to catch up with Lupin and Potter. Actually it seemed as if they'd been waiting for him, at least when he spotted them they weren't moving but sitting around next to a rock at the foot of a hill.

"You didn't get very far, did you?" was the first thing he said to Lupin.

"We've been waiting for you. It took you long enough to get here," Lupin replied and got to his feet. "So are the others busy searching for Harry?"

"Didn't I tell you not to wait?" Severus asked.

"Not expressly I think, no," Lupin said. "And we also had a good reason not to go any further; I'm quite sure that we'll have to go back to the house anyway."

"Why should we do _that_?"

"The book says so," Harry said in a low voice. He was still sitting on the ground, holding the book in his hands and looking rather miserable.

"At least we think so," Lupin added, held out his hand and Harry handed him the book. "Take a look at this," he said, opened the book and gave it to Snape.

Severus sighed inaudibly – he really was sick and tired of that book and its cryptic messages. "Beyond the canvas lies the door and when it opens, it is the way back out, or is it the way back in," he read. "Lies and secrets become your world and reality turns into a frail dream." He looked up and gave Lupin a questioning look. "So?"

"_The way out_, that's what we're looking for, isn't it?" Lupin said. "Now the drawing on the next page. I'm rather sure that that place is actually _inside_ the house."

Severus turned the page and looked at a rough pencil drawing of a small room stuffed with shelves and all sorts of other things. "How sure is 'rather sure'?" he asked.

"I'd bet my left hand on it."

"Your left?"

"I'm sure, Severus. That's the small room next to the kitchen," Lupin said. "The book says the door was _beyond the canvas_. In the drawing you can see some paintings leaning against a shelf; I saw those in the house. That's our way back out."

They stood in silence for a moment.

"Personally, I've had enough of that book," Severus said and handed it back to Lupin. "We don't even know what it wants from us; it could just as well be trying to lure us in a trap."

"_It_?" Lupin asked. "So you believe that book has a will of its own? Or are you suggesting that it's just an instrument of something else?"

"I'm not suggesting anything. All I'm saying is that there's a lot of dark magic in that book and that I don't trust it enough to put my life at risk by doing what it tells me."

"Never trust anything that can think for itself if you don't know where it keeps its brain," Harry said in a low voice and slowly got to his feet.

Severus would almost have replied with an 'Exactly' but didn't as soon as he realised that it was actually Potter who'd just agreed with him.

"Take a look around, Lupin," he said instead. "This is where your little book got us. I for one think it would probably be wisest to do exactly the opposite of whatever it says."

"But what else can we do?" Harry asked. "I think we ought to give it a try at least."

"I don't give a damn what you think, Potter," Severus said, glaring at him. "You've really done enough for one day, haven't you? So just hold your tongue now and leave this to someone who knows what he's doing!"

Severus noted that Potter was obviously quite surprised by his little loss of temper, but it really had been about time for this; back in the house he'd already felt tempted to actually kick or punch the little brat. Just because it was all his fault; just because he kept doing things like this; just because he was so incredibly arrogant, irresponsible and ungrateful.

"Fine," Lupin said in a low voice before Harry could reply anything. "Can we please discuss this in a reasonable way now?"

Neither Severus nor Harry said anything so Lupin continued. "We don't have many options," he said. "We could go back to the place where we first arrived but I don't expect to find anything there. We could also just sit here and wait for the sun to rise or anything else to happen but that's rather unlikely. Or we give the book a chance and go back to the house."

"That's idiotic," Severus muttered to himself, turned away and peered into the distance, thinking.

"You're always just complaining," Harry said angrily. "Since you always know better anyway why don't you..."

"Harry, please," Lupin cut him off.

Severus whirled around to glare down at the boy again. "How dare you talk to me like that," he hissed and slowly took a step towards him. "Who do you think you are? Aside from being the reason why we're stuck here in the first place?"

Lupin stepped forward to stand in front of Harry and looked straight into Snape's eyes. "We have a problem to solve here," he said in a very soft and calm voice, holding his gaze. "We have two Death Eaters out there looking for us, possibly with more of them on the way. There's some kind of evil power inhabiting this world that seems to be after us and we have no idea how to get away from here. This is _not_ the time to start arguing with each other."

Severus took a deep breath and turned away from him again. He was pretty reluctant to go back to that house – not only because of Malfoy. But he had to admit that it probably was their best choice.

"Malfoy's going to give up searching sooner or later," he said. "So if we want to go back, we should waste no more time."

Lupin nodded. "Good. Let's go then."

Despite obviously being rather exhausted, Harry quickly took the lead as they made their way back to the house, Snape and Lupin following him at a few steps distance. Actually he seemed to be the only one who really _wanted_ to go back there.

"Severus?" Lupin asked in a voice low enough for Harry not to hear him. "What are we going to do about Malfoy?"

Severus threw him a questioning glance.

"You know very well what I'm talking about," Lupin said. "If you show up back at Hogwarts together with Harry it won't take him more than five minutes to figure out that you might not be the loyal lapdog he took you for."

"I'm aware of that," Severus muttered and lowered his eyes to the ground again. He knew that Lupin had probably expected to hear what kind of brilliant plan he had to get himself out of this again; unfortunately though, he didn't have the faintest idea. It would definitely be difficult to talk himself out of this and he had his doubts that he would even get a chance to explain anything – the Dark Lord usually didn't waste much time listening to poor excuses.

Harry had come to a sudden halt and when Severus looked up he realised why.

"Not again," he muttered to himself upon seeing his father standing there, arms folded, sneering down at Potter. _Like father like son. _Severus quickly discarded the thought, simply because he'd rather not have anything in common with his father.

"I thought he looked familiar when I saw him back in the forest," Lupin said in a low voice.

Severus was quite sure that Lupin and his father had never met so that was probably Lupin's subtle way of saying 'You look just like your father'. Well, he had to admit it _was_ rather obvious; the same face, same eyes, even the same black hair, just that his father's was quite a bit longer.

"He's the spitting image of his father, don't you think?" the man said to Harry. When Harry didn't react, he turned his attention to Lupin instead. "You noticed right away, didn't you? Eyes like a hawk."

Lupin eyed him suspiciously.

"Nobody's talking to you," Severus said in a dead calm voice.

"Oh, look who's talking. But where are your manners? Aren't you even going to introduce me?"

"No."

"You're suddenly a tough guy now, aren't you? Now that you're not on your own any more?" his father asked, turning away from Lupin and slowly moving towards him. "Do you think you are? You think you're strong enough to take me on?"

Severus lowered his eyes and shook his head. "Keep talking," he said in a low voice. "I won't listen any more. I've listened for far too long already."

"If you ever had, you wouldn't be here now. Just look at yourself; what are you doing here?"

"What I'm definitely _not_ going to do is to waste any more time talking to you," Severus said softly. "So if you'd excuse us now?" With that he turned away and walked past him. Lupin followed him only a second later, dragging Harry along.

"I told you can't walk away from me," his father called after him.

"Watch me," Severus replied without looking back.

For the next few seconds he almost held his breath, hoping he'd just let him go without following him or saying anything else. Much to his surprise, he actually did.

"He's gone," Lupin said a moment later.

Severus stopped walking and for a second he just stood there, staring at the ground, thinking. "Thesdale said there was nothing special about this painting, it could have been any," he said then. "Which means that this particular picture showed up in the book only because Potter had seen it before."

"But I hadn't," Harry said.

"Yes, you had. You've been down in the lower dungeons before; Professor McGonagall told me she gave you the password for the portrait. You might not recall, but I'm rather sure that was when you saw the painting."

"If so, where does it get us?" Lupin asked.

"I'm not sure," Severus replied. "But it proves that the book is definitely working against us, despite what it might be trying to make us believe. It lured us all in here and I believe that it really wants us to stay."

"Why would this... _being_ want us to stay?" Lupin asked. "And if so, why is it acting like this? Why is it confronting us with things we don't want to see? I mean, if I didn't completely misjudge the situation, you weren't all too happy about meeting your father. I'm afraid your theory's lacking some logic."

"Lupin, just because there's something you don't understand, it doesn't necessarily mean it's illogical."

"Thank you. You hadn't insulted me for at least five minutes now, I was beginning to miss it."

Severus took a deep breath and decided not to take this any further. "It wants us to stay because it _needs_ us. It takes our thoughts and turns them into all of this," he said. "This whole world has been created _around us_. If we leave, it might simply cease to exist."

"Which would leave that evil spirit or whatever it is homeless. Perhaps it would even cease to exist as well," Lupin said. "That's reason enough not to let us leave."

"Exactly. So how smart is it to do exactly as this thing tells us?"

"Well, yes, but on the other hand: if you're right, it has us just where it wants us," Lupin replied. "Why send us back to the house?"

"Because it's bored?" Severus suggested. "It's probably watching us right now; we're like lab rats, struggling to find a way out of this maze."

"So what are we supposed to do? Sit and wait until it loses interest in us and just sends us back home?" Lupin asked. "That's not my way."

"Neither is it mine," Severus replied. "But whatever we do, we should always keep in mind that it'll probably try to lead us astray."

"You don't think that You-Know-Who's controlling this, do you?"

"No," he said. "I think at the moment the Dark Lord might not even be our biggest problem." Severus looked over at Harry who was standing a few steps away from them and staring off into the distance, obviously not even listening to what they were saying. He thought it was pretty uncharacteristic for Potter who was usually very interested in everything that was none of his business. But then it was fine with him – the less he saw or heard from Potter, the better.

"Let's move on then, shall we?" Lupin said and set into motion. "Come on, Harry."

Severus hesitated for a moment and then started walking as well.

He wondered what Lupin had seen while he'd been waiting outside the house. He didn't want to ask him though because he was convinced that the answer would provide him with far more insight into the man than he'd ever wanted to have.

He just wished his father would also have had the decency not to show up in front of everyone else; the man was an experience he didn't necessarily want to share. But he just wasn't the type to bully him in private when he could get the chance to do it in front of an audience. It was just so much more fun with others watching. Severus knew that, he'd done it himself often enough.

Potter had told him he'd seen Black; that didn't really make a lot of sense to him. He was quite sure that Potter wasn't carrying any negative feelings towards his godfather. On the contrary. So obviously the omnipotent being controlling this world bore a personal grudge against him.

-

When they reached the house Severus made his two companions wait while he went ahead to make sure that Malfoy and Thesdale hadn't returned yet.

He felt anxiety growing inside of him as he walked up to the house. As soon as he entered the building again this feeling seemed to become even more intense, and his inner voice told him very clearly that he shouldn't have come back here. Standing in the corridor and listening to the silence that surrounded him, he was almost waiting for something to happen, something to finally break the tension. But nothing did. Nothing at all. He called for Malfoy and Thesdale, got no reply and went back to the door.

"They're still out hunting," he said to Lupin and Harry. "However, they might be back rather soon, we'd better be quick."

"Nobody's planning on staying any longer than absolutely necessary," Lupin said and flashed him a reassuring smile as he and Harry walked past him.

Severus threw another glance into the darkness outside before he closed the door and followed them.

"So? Which one is it?" Severus asked, leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded and watching Lupin searching through the dusty paintings.

"This one," Lupin replied, as he pulled out a large painting in a black wooden frame and leaned it against a shelf. "I suppose."

"Well, it's definitely Hogwarts," Severus said after taking a quick look at it.

"I'd say it's what we're looking for, isn't it?"

"I'd say that was _really_ easy."

"Easy is _good_, Severus," Lupin replied.

"What if we only find what we're looking for just _because_ we're looking for it?"

"What if _you're_ the one who's being paranoid now?"

"Look," Harry interrupted them. "The lights in the tower just lit up."

They both turned their attention back to the painting and saw it too: all of the windows in one of the towers were now streaming light into the misty darkness that surrounded the castle.

"That's our way out," Lupin said.

"Fine," Severus replied. "If you're so convinced, just go right ahead."

"You want me to go first?"

"I can go first," Harry said.

"No, you won't," Severus replied curtly.

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"Because I say so."

"I don't care if _you_ say so," Harry said defiantly.

"No, Harry, he's right," Lupin said quickly. "I'll go first."

"Why not you?" Harry asked, still watching Snape out of narrowed eyes. "Scared?"

"Watch it, Potter," Severus hissed.

"Stop it," Lupin said. "Both of you. I go first. Then you," he said and turned to Harry, then to Snape. "And then you. That's safest, that's how we do it, without any further discussions."

Severus was slightly surprised by Lupin's sudden determination, but it was fine with him as long as _he_ wasn't the one who was expected to go first and run headlong into a trap. Although he had to admit that being the third to run into a trap probably wasn't any better either.

Lupin knelt down in front of the painting and slowly reached out his hand. Carefully he touched the canvas with his fingertips. The colours blurred and his touch sent ripples across the canvas, making it look like the surface of a lake. Quickly he pulled his hand away again.

"Like water," he said. "It felt as if it was trying to pull me inside."

"So what are you waiting for?" Severus asked. "Jump right in."

Lupin hesitated for a moment, and then shrugged his shoulders. "Well, it's worth a try," he said. "Can't get any worse, I suppose."

He reached out again, touched the canvas and slowly moved his hand further until his fingertips sank through the surface, then his whole hand, his arm and suddenly he seemed to be pulled forward, off his feet and head first into the painting. And then he was gone.

"Go ahead, Potter, you're next," Severus said.

Harry made a step towards the painting but then hesitated.

"Maybe-"

"No," Severus cut him off. "Just get in there, I'm not going to discuss it with you."

"Harry, don't."

Severus whirled around upon hearing the all too familiar voice and cursed himself for not simply having pushed Potter right into that painting. Standing there was no other than Sirius Black, looking just like he had when they'd last met.

"Sirius," Harry whispered, a faint smile on his lips and a vacant expression on his face.

"Go ahead now, Potter," Severus said, trying to pay no attention to Black.

"Don't listen to what _he_ says, Harry," Black said. "You don't want to go, do you?"

"Potter, don't be stupid," Severus said in a low voice.

"_You_ mind your business!" Black hissed. "Harry, you can stay here. You don't have to leave."

"He's not there. He's _dead_," Severus said.

"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Black asked. "Must have been one of the best days of your miserable little life when you heard that your friends had killed me. Nearly as good as when they killed James, wasn't it?"

Harry turned around, watching him and waiting for his reaction.

"Yes," Severus replied slowly, sneering at Black. "It was indeed. Who'd have thought I'd actually outlive _both _of you?"

"Two down, one to go, right? I mean, Pettigrew doesn't count any more, he's on your side now."

"Pettigrew never counted."

"Yeah, but Remus does," Black replied. "He's too trusting, too easy to hurt. And I know you want to make him pay."

Severus was well aware that it wasn't actually Black he was talking to; it was Potter. Just like it hadn't been his father he'd seen but just a reflection, created from his own memories. And since he hadn't really enjoyed meeting that ghost from his own past, he definitely didn't want to waste his time on Potter's memories now either.

"Enough of that," he said. "Potter, get going."

Harry shook his head and slowly took a step away from him, towards Black.

"Looks like he doesn't want to go with you," Black said.

"I don't care if he wants to, he will. Potter, my patience with you is wearing thin. Move it."

"_You_ don't tell him what to do," Black hissed, glaring at him.

"Potter!"

"No," Harry said. "I won't just leave. I can take Sirius with me, I can bring him back."

"No, you can't," Severus said. "That's not him. He's dead, nothing and nobody can bring him back."

Harry didn't listen. He turned away from him to face Black again. "I've been searching for you," he said. "I knew you weren't gone. And now that I found you, I can bring you back."

_Brilliant. Now Potter junior has finally lost what little brains he had left. I just bet someone's going to blame me for that, too._

"Harry, I can't leave here. Not yet," Black said softly. "But you can stay. You can help me to become strong enough to go back with you."

"Yes...," Harry whispered and made another step towards Black. "I'll help you."

"Well, yes, why not," Severus said quickly. "If you want to stay, you may stay. You're old enough to decide that for yourself."

Harry frowned at him, seeming to be a little surprised at first, but then nodded.

"However, I'm going back now," Severus said. "If you'd just give me that book? I'll have to hand it in to Dumbledore."

Harry took a step towards Snape and raised his arm to hand him the book. Severus took his chance, grabbed him by his wrist, pulled him away from Black and pushed him across the room with enough force to make him stumble.

"No!" Black yelled.

Harry tripped, fell towards the painting and reached out, trying to break his fall. His hands touched the canvas, sank right through and then he was pulled inside.

"No, no!" Black yelled once more.

When Severus turned back around to face him, Black was gone, and in his place, stood his father once more, glaring at him out of eyes filled with hatred.

"You moron!" he hissed. "What have you done!"

Severus smiled at him, took a few steps backwards, reached out and allowed himself to be pulled into the painting as well.

Around him it was cold, dark and silent. It was an endless darkness. This was different from how he got here. He felt as if he was floating in mid-air, but he knew there was no ground below him, no sky above. There was nothing, nothing at all, just him and the darkness. He was alone here, and _here_ was everything that existed. An intense feeling of loneliness emerged from the darkness and wrapped itself around him, tighter and tighter until he felt it inside of him, in every part of his body. It wrapped itself around his heart like a cold hand, an icy grip that would stop it from beating. He could barely breathe, it felt as if someone was trying to choke him.

Images flashed in front of him. He squeezed his eyes shut but they wouldn't go away. Blood. The Dark Mark floating in a nightly sky. A little girl carrying a white cat on her arm. More blood. Dead bodies. A woman, screaming without making a sound.

Through his closed eyelids, he saw a flash of white light. His left shoulder hit something solid, and he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Lupin and Potter, standing a few steps away from him.

"He just left him there! He didn't even _want_ to try," Harry said to Lupin.

Severus got to his feet as well and realised that he was standing at the foot of one of Hogwarts's tall towers.

"He was right, Harry," Lupin said softly, put his hands on Harry's shoulders and looked straight into his eyes. "You couldn't have."

"But Sirius said I could. He said..."

"It wasn't him. And whatever you would have brought back from there, it wouldn't have been him," Lupin said. "Sirius was my friend, and if there was any way to undo what happened, believe me, I'd do it. But there isn't."

"Are you two about done?" Severus asked impatiently.

Harry turned around to face him and stared at him out of empty eyes.

"I hate you," he whispered eventually, barely audible.

"Very well," Severus replied. "I assume that you have no objections to continuing with your hating me _inside_ the castle because I'd really like to hand you over to Dumbledore now so we can mark my job as done, and I can finally get some sleep."

Harry just continued to stare at him but Lupin nodded. "Come on, let's go inside," he said to Harry. "I bet there are quite a few people waiting for you."

The first person they came across as soon as they'd set foot inside the castle was Ron Weasley, who was, of course, accompanied by Hermione Granger. They'd just been walking down the stairs to the Entrance Hall, and both stopped dead the moment they spotted them.

Severus was quite sure that Weasley would have stood there staring for another hour if the Granger girl hadn't nearly pushed him down the stairs as she came running towards Potter.

The first thing Severus did, while those kids were hugging each other and telling Potter how glad they were that he'd made it back here in one piece, was to search for a working clock. He found one in a corner across the hall that clearly stated that they hadn't been gone for longer than one and a half hours. He'd expected that much, so instead of being very surprised, he was simply glad that he wouldn't have to show up in class any time soon.

"Professor Dumbledore's in the staff room," Hermione said to Harry and Lupin. "They've been trying to figure out how that painting works."

"How did you get back?" Ron asked. "They all said you couldn't possibly make it back on your own."

"There was another painting there, one of Hogwarts," Harry replied slowly. "It's a long story."

"We'll have to tell Dumbledore that you're back," Ron said and set off towards the stairs. "Come on."

Harry and Hermione were just about to follow him when Severus decided it was about time to step in. "It's almost four o'clock in the morning," he said and the three Gryffindors stopped walking and turned back around. "Weasley, Miss Granger, you're off to your dormitories now."

Ron opened his mouth and was just about to object but Lupin was faster. "Yeah, it's really late. You two go to bed now, Harry can tell you about everything tomorrow," he said.

They were still rather reluctant to part with each other but eventually did as they'd been told. At least after Severus had told Potter twice to finally come along now. Once he finally had the boy following him along the corridor towards the staff room though, Lupin began to slow down and eventually stopped in front of a window to look outside.

Severus noticed, but didn't bother to turn around. Only when he was about to turn around the next corner he called out an annoyed "Are you coming now?"

"Yeah, on my way," Lupin muttered and set off to catch up with them.

-

Dumbledore really seemed rather surprised to see them. He, McGonagall and Dobberstein had been sitting at one end of the long wooden table with the painting placed right in front of them and when they'd opened the door he'd immediately jumped up from his chair, a broad smile on his face.

"You're back!" was the first thing Dumbledore said.

_Evidently._

"Harry," he then said, walked around the table towards Potter and put his hands on his shoulders. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I guess I am," Harry replied.

"Good," Dumbledore said, nodded and turned to Severus. "I suppose we can discuss everything else tomorrow?"

"Yes," Severus replied curtly. Actually he wouldn't have minded a word of appreciation for spending the whole night searching for that kid and risking his own well-being in the process; but if it meant he could finally go and sleep now, he could live without it. Nonetheless, he decided he should at least mention Malfoy; not least because he actually wasn't quite sure what he should do about him. "I'd just like to inform you that Lucius Malfoy was also involved in this. He and another Death Eater."

"And he's also aware of _your_ involvement?"

"Yes. Right now though he should still be believing that I'm out there trying to help him find Potter."

Dumbledore's expression became a lot more serious now. "If Malfoy suspects you, that would mean the end of your days as a spy."

_It would more likely mean my end among the living. _"I could go back," he suggested. "Pretend I didn't find him."

Dumbledore thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. "No, you won't go back," he said. "It's likely that they'll find the same way out you did; when they show up here, we'll deal with them."

Severus nodded although he thought that it would probably have been easier for him to go back now than to try and talk himself out of this afterwards. And he didn't expect Malfoy to be stupid enough to follow him here either.

"Very well," Dumbledore said, smiled at him and then turned to Harry. "It's about time you went to bed; we'll talk tomorrow."

"Yeah," Harry said softly. "I suppose you'll want this," he added and handed him the small leather bound book.

"Yes, thank you, Harry."

Harry nodded, turned away and slowly walked to the door. Severus watched him and only now noticed that Lupin was still standing next to the door with his arms folded in front of his chest, being uncharacteristically quiet.

"Would you mind if I borrowed that?" Severus asked even before the door had fallen closed behind Potter.

"The book?" Dumbledore asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"This book is a dangerous magical object," Dumbledore replied. "I suppose it would be best if I kept it with me and put it in a safe place. We wouldn't want anything else to happen, would we?"

"I'd just like to have another look at it," Severus said.

Dumbledore nodded, smiling at him in a way he'd usually smile at a first year student. "Tomorrow."

"Yes, sir." Severus cast another glance at McGonagall and Dobberstein who already seemed to be lost in another little chat before he turned away, muttered, "Good night" and left the staff room.

As soon as he'd turned around the corner, he spotted Harry walking down the corridor, obviously taking his time on his way back to Gryffindor tower.

"Potter."

Harry stopped walking and reluctantly turned around to face him. For a moment Severus just looked at him before he spoke in an unusually calm, yet determined voice. "I've spent fifteen years, Potter, _fifteen years_, all your lifetime, waiting for this to come. I have sat patiently and waited for the day when we'd finally get a chance to defeat him. I can't, and I won't, allow _you_ and your irrational, irresponsible and selfish behaviour to destroy everything I've waited and worked for. So if you should _ever _consider doing something as stupid as this again, rest assured, I'm going to take it very personally. I hope I've made myself clear."

He didn't even give Harry the chance to reply anything but whirled around and strode back along the corridor, leaving him standing there and staring after him. Severus had his doubts that Potter would take his advice as seriously as he'd meant it, but he hoped it had made enough of an impression on him so he'd at least remember it for a few weeks.

-

Lupin had left the staff room right after Snape and had witnessed what he'd said to Harry. Luckily though, neither Harry nor Severus had noticed him; he definitely didn't want to take sides in this or any other of their arguments any longer, at least no more than what was necessary to even the odds. And this time he couldn't deny that Snape had a point – Harry's behaviour had without a doubt been irresponsible. Nonetheless, he could understand him.

From inside the staff room he heard footsteps moving towards the door. He didn't plan on going to bed just yet so he quickly turned away and set off towards the Entrance Hall, not wanting to be seen and asked where he was headed.

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AN: Sorry it's taken me so long, exams kept me quite busy... Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it. And thank you so much to each of you who reviewed :) 


	18. In The Shadows

Author's Note: Just in case someone didn't notice, I changed the rating to PG13 with the previous chapter.

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In The Shadows

Severus wasn't very happy. He was convinced that Dumbledore and McGonagall weren't going to even take any points from Gryffindor although Potter actually deserved to be expelled. He also took it somewhat badly that the headmaster just wouldn't give him that bloody book. After all, he was _not_ one of his dull-witted students. So Dumbledore should know better than to fear that he'd accidentally reduce Hogwarts to ashes if he were allowed to take another look at it. And he also wasn't very happy – though not very surprised either – that McGonagall seemed to have barely even noticed that he'd returned.

Unfortunately there were, of course, no students around to vent his ill temper upon, so all he could do was to glare at all those stone statues and suits of armour he came across on his way to his office.

Although he couldn't deny that he was dead tired, he'd decided to take a quick look at his book shelves before going to bed; it had been years since he'd last seen the book he was thinking of, but he was quite sure that it had to be somewhere in his office.

In the dungeons it was awkwardly silent now that the whole castle was asleep. In a place usually crowded with children, he'd come to appreciate every minute of silence, but right now he actually felt he'd had enough of it for a while.

It was rather cold down there and it was very dark, but he knew his dungeons well enough not to need any light to find his way so he didn't even notice. Actually, he was too tired to really notice _anything_ around him. He had a strange detached feeling as he moved along the corridors, almost as if he was walking through a dream. For a moment, he wondered whether it was possible that all this actually _was_ a dream and that he'd wake up any moment and none of this would ever have happened. He quickly discarded the idea again; there was no way he'd get out of this so easily.

He reached his office and opened the door. Suddenly he heard something and whirled back around. A low thud, as if something soft had hit the floor. For a moment, he stood there and peered into the darkness, but there was nothing there.

Severus shook his head at his own behaviour. He entered his office, closed the door behind him and with a wave of his hand, he lit some candles. Then he took off his coat, put it on a hook on the wall and walked across the room towards the bookshelves behind his desk.

He pulled a few books from the shelf so he could reach the second row, which was usually covered up and hidden from view. And not without reason; he had more than one banned book there that nobody, especially not someone like him, was supposed to own. He hadn't even looked at most of them since he'd put them there, so it took him a while to find what he was looking for.

A few minutes later, he finally pulled a large book with a dark velvet wrapper from the shelf. It looked old and worn and was covered in dust, which made it very obvious that no one had read it in years. He wiped the dust off the cover and then carefully moved his fingers across the velvet. As he did this, golden letters appeared below his fingertips, spelling out the title of the book: Dark Legends – Revenants, Bogeymen and the Wendigo.

He remembered that he'd been eight years old when he'd last read that book, and that it had scared the living hell out of him. What he also remembered, very well, was getting caught rummaging in his father's books although he'd been explicitly banned from ever setting foot in the library.

He walked back to his desk, sat down and placed the book on the table in front of him. Just as he was about to open it, he hesitated, raised his head again and glanced around the dimly lit room. Somehow he still couldn't quite get rid of the feeling that he was doing something forbidden and that he'd get caught any moment.

He had to smile at himself; that was just too ridiculous.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw something moving. He turned his head and quickly realised that it had been merely his own shadow, cast on the stonewall by the flickering candlelight.

"I'm too tired," he muttered to himself and rubbed his eyes. "Much too tired."

He stifled a yawn, opened the book and quickly thumbed through the pages, searching for the chapter he distinctly remembered having read so many years ago.

"And here it is," he whispered to himself and began to read. "Chapter Three, the Phantasmyon Curse."

As he read, he felt as if he actually remembered every single word, despite the many years that had passed. He remembered the large ornate letters at the beginning of each paragraph, the smell of the old parchment; and he remembered how much it had scared him.

He stopped reading and listened. Footsteps. Definitely footsteps. Outside his office. Slowly he reached for his wand but just as he was about to stand up, the sound was gone.

Severus took a deep breath, decided not to look outside just to find an empty dark corridor, placed his wand back on his desk and continued reading:

_Fear and pain form a most versatile foe, for it is always – unconsciously – chosen by the victim itself. It emerges from the deepest and darkest abyss of the human mind and manifests as an imaginary enemy, always lurking in the shadows, sensed rather than seen. That's what makes it such an intimidating and strong – if not invincible – opponent._

Suddenly the silence around him was shattered by a loud knock on the door that nearly made him fall off his chair.

Actually, it wasn't just one knock, it was six knocks in a row, in a very annoying pattern that made clear that there had to be a very annoying person on the other side of that door. And although he didn't really care who it was, he was quite convinced he already knew it. Another knock followed.

"Do you know what time it is?" Severus asked through the closed door. "Just go back to where you came from."

"Yes, I know what time it is." Lupin. Of course. Who else could it have been. "I've got to talk to you."

"Just go, will you?"

"Five minutes of your valuable time. It's important."

Severus slowly stood up, walked across his office and opened the door. "Important, is it?" he asked while he remained standing in the door frame just to make sure Lupin couldn't possibly misunderstand the situation and believe he'd asked him inside. "It better be."

"Can I come in?"

"No. So what is it?"

"Well," Lupin glanced around as if he actually expected to find someone trying to eavesdrop on them. At four in the morning. "I've just been outside, and it's rather warm out there."

"Why doesn't that come as a surprise to me?" Severus asked. "Perhaps because it's been rather warm for at least a week now? Now if you really just wanted to chat about the weather-"

"No, no, no, wait," Lupin said quickly. "It wasn't warm when we got back here."

Severus arched an eyebrow, wondering whether he should wait to see if Lupin had anything else to say or simply punch him in the face straight away for being such a pain in the neck and stealing his time yet again.

"When we got back through the painting, it was cold, really cold. I didn't really pay attention to it then, but I realised later, went back outside, and all of a sudden, it wasn't cold at all any more." Lupin looked at him, waiting for his reaction, but Snape just stood there and said nothing at all. "And the moon," Lupin added.

"What about the moon?" Snape asked lazily.

"When we were outside, it seemed to be a very light and clear night, as if it was a full moon. When we went over to the staff room I looked outside to check, but I couldn't see the moon because it was all covered by clouds."

"So?" Severus asked. "What do you want from me?"

Lupin hesitated and then took a deep breath before he spoke again. "Didn't you... well, didn't you notice anything odd around here? Anything at all?"

_Aside from the footsteps I keep hearing, aside from the feeling that someone's watching me all the time, aside from the shadows I see creeping along the walls – no, not really. _"Such as?"

"I'm not sure, but ever since we got here I can't shake off the feeling that there's something amiss. I can't really point it out, it's not very obvious, but nothing seems to be quite the way it's supposed to be," Lupin said.

Severus hated to admit it, but he was right. He'd noticed it himself and had dismissed it as a product of his imagination. Now he wasn't so sure any more.

"Take Dumbledore for example," Lupin continued. "He was acting strange. Why wouldn't he give you that book? It makes no sense."

"Because it's dangerous, just like he said."

Lupin shook his head. "I don't think so. He wouldn't act like that. It's not right. This whole place just isn't right. It looks, sounds and smells different, it _feels_ different," he said. "Try to remember: when you walked along the corridor outside your office; did you hear the echo of your footsteps? You can always hear a very clear echo down here in the dungeons, especially at night when everything's quiet."

"You don't seriously pay attention to the echo of your footsteps, do you?" Severus asked.

"No, of course not. Nobody does. And that's the problem," Lupin replied. "Because as soon as you _do_ pay attention to something and notice that there's something wrong with it, it will change. Everything seems to adjust to what we want it to be, or rather, what we expect it to be." He paused for a moment. "It's like waking up from a nightmare and then realising that you only dreamt it, and that you're actually still caught in your dream."

Severus thought about what he'd said. Dumbledore _had _been acting strange; he hadn't given him the book, and he hadn't seemed at all worried about the possibility of Malfoy and Thesdale showing up on the castle's doorstep. He tried to remember walking down to his office; all he could recall was that it had been very quiet in the dungeons, which was nothing too unusual considering that it was four o'clock in the morning.

"What were you reading?" Lupin asked, peering over his shoulder into the room. "Can I have a look at that?"

Lupin had walked past him even before Severus had time to object. He took the open book from Snape's desk, threw a quick glance at what he'd been reading, turned a few pages and then looked up again.

"Did you ever read the whole book?" he asked.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Did you _ever_ read any further than chapter three in this book?" Lupin repeated his question.

"Why?" Severus asked and slowly walked back across the room towards him.

"Because it's all the same," Lupin replied and showed him the open book. "Nothing but the first three chapters, again and again."

Severus stared down at the book, then at Lupin. "It can't be there," he then said slowly. "I can't make it be there because I've never read it."

Lupin nodded. "Exactly."

It made sense, no doubt. A lot of sense.

"When we went back through the painting, we didn't even have to read the incantation. I suppose we could have noticed that a little sooner," Severus muttered and picked up his wand from his desk. "Did you try it?"

Lupin shook his head. "No, I didn't think of it."

Severus pointed his wand at the paperweight on his desk and whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa". Nothing happened. He tried it once more, but again, nothing happened.

Lupin pulled out his own wand and tried the same spell, but still, the paperweight wouldn't move.

"I suppose that's evidence enough," he said and put his wand away again. "What now?"

"We need the book," Severus said. "You're right; he didn't give it to me because we need it to get away from here. I'll get it while you go and get Potter."

"We don't even know where it is."

"Dumbledore's office, I assume."

Lupin gave him a questioning look. "You're not going to attempt breaking into Dumbledore's office, are you?"

"Since I happen to know the password, I don't think you can really call it _breaking in_." He walked back to the door and took his coat from the hook on the wall. "We'll meet again here," he added and started walking along the corridor.

Lupin followed him through the dungeons and up the stairs to the Entrance Hall.

"I'll take the backstairs," Lupin said as soon as they'd reached the first floor. "And be careful. It's still here, and I believe it's much stronger when we face it on our own."

"You just make sure you keep an eye on Potter. Try not to lose him when he decides to go chasing after the ghost of his godfather again," Severus replied and started walking up the stairs.

He heard Lupin's footsteps as he walked along the hallway, the creak of the door as he opened it and as it fell closed again behind him. The sound echoed through the darkness and seemed to ring on in his ears long after it had died away. Then, very suddenly, it was gone. For a moment he listened into the darkness but there was nothing else but this overwhelming absolute silence.

Severus had a feeling that it probably would have been wiser not to split up, and he was quite sure that Lupin had thought the same. But they had no time to waste; the sooner they got away from here, the better. And after all, he, for one, could definitely look after himself, so if Lupin had a problem with it, he should simply have said so.

_Alone in the dark, that scares him? The little wimp needs a nightlight? I'll give him something worth being afraid of._

He could hear his father's voice in his mind as clearly as if he'd said it only yesterday. But it had been long ago, and he'd grown out of being afraid of the dark, trolls in the cupboard, monsters under the bed and phantoms in the shadows, just like all kids did. He could look after himself.

Severus turned his thoughts back to the present situation; if that fake Dumbledore was anything like the real man, he'd definitely have taken the book to his office. Or he'd have destroyed it. But if this being had been able to do _that_, it probably already would have done it quite a while ago. That meant that it was dependent on this book and couldn't exist without it. Or at least, not yet.

_I can't leave here. Not yet. You can help me to become strong enough._

That's what it had said to Potter, back in the house. Perhaps it didn't simply want them to stay; perhaps it needed them to become stronger, strong enough to break out of this world and cross the bridge to reality.

At the top of the stairs, he turned left and then he stopped walking.

A cat. He heard a cat meowing, barely audible, softly calling for him. Reason told him not to pay attention, but his curiosity once again got the better of him; he turned around and walked along the corridor in the opposite direction.

The sound grew a little louder as he came closer, but it was still so soft that he wasn't even sure he really heard it. At the corner he came to a halt again. It was just around this corner. If he made one more step, he'd know. But he wasn't too sure anymore if he actually _wanted_ to know.

"It's not real," he whispered to himself and then stepped around the corner.

And there it was, the cat. Not just any cat; it was _his_ cat. Or rather, it had been.

_Good for nothing little bastard. You and that lousy critter, you're a good match._

He didn't want to see it but couldn't help staring down at the cat as it lay there on the floor, moaning pitifully. It was lying on its side, unable to move, blood dripping from its nose and onto the floor. The cat raised its head a little, trying to look at him.

Severus swallowed hard and closed his eyes, his heart beating faster.

"It's not there," he said to himself once more. "It's not real. I'm seeing through you, you can't scare me."

And suddenly, it was silent again. He opened his eyes, and the cat was gone, without a trace. All he could see now was the dark silent corridor, just the way it was supposed to be.

He turned around again and continued on his way to the headmaster's office, determined not to pay heed to anything else this being might have in store for him.

Surprisingly enough he actually made it to Dumbledore's office without further incidents. In front of the statue guarding the entrance, he glanced around once more before he said the password – Spider Liquorice – and stepped onto the spiral staircase.

Once inside the office, he realised that one definitely _could_ call it 'breaking in', no matter whether he did, or didn't, know the password. And that made him feel rather uncomfortable. Under normal circumstances he'd never even have thought about setting foot in here without the headmaster's invitation, and even though this was anything but normal circumstances, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was deceiving Dumbledore in some way.

He crossed the room, stood behind the ancient wooden desk and searched the surface. Then he put aside a few pieces of parchment, but he still couldn't see the book anywhere. For a moment he paused before he pulled open the first drawer and searched through it, then the second and the third. It wasn't there.

"Where did you put it...," he muttered to himself. "Where would _he_ put it..."

Slowly he turned around and let his gaze wander along the room's walls and across the various shelves.

"Of course," he said to himself as he spotted the tall wooden cupboard. It stood against the darkest wall of the room, right behind the door, inconspicuous and easily overlooked despite its size.

Severus took a few steps towards it, and then he could see the book through the glass doors. It was leaning against some larger books on the left side of the cupboard, next to some other strange bits and pieces Dumbledore kept in there.

"Breaking into the headmaster's office, are we?"

Severus had expected that he hadn't seen the last of his father yet, and he was prepared now. Or at least so he hoped. He put on his characteristic sneer and then slowly turned around to face him.

"How I'd hoped we'd meet once more," he greeted his father, who was standing right in front of Dumbledore's desk.

"He's a wise old man, always knew you can't be trusted. And you've proven him right yet again."

Severus smiled at him, trying to hide what he really thought. "That's becoming ridiculous now, you're clearly running out of ideas." He folded his arms in front of his chest and threw him a questioning look out of narrowed eyes. "What do you want from me? From us? Why are you doing this?"

"Ridiculous? I don't think so, and neither do you." His father slowly took a step towards him. "Like it or not, you've always known that you're only here because you've proven yourself useful to Dumbledore. You had what he wanted, and needed, and you happened to be there at exactly the right time. And you know that as soon as you're of no more use to him, he'll dump you, and you'll have nowhere left to go."

"What is it that I have that _you_ want?" Severus asked slowly. "Exactly the three of us, you didn't want anyone else. Why?"

"He never wanted to give you a second chance. There are no second chances!" his father roared, obviously rather annoyed at not getting the reaction he'd expected. "I told you that again and again, a hundred times. You had your chance, you made your choice! But then you never could do _anything_ right, could you? "

"I'm sorry, but that really doesn't sound much like my father. Perhaps you should try something different," Severus said indifferently.

The other man just stared at him, like he'd done so many times, waiting for him to look away. But Severus didn't, and a moment later the man standing in front of him disappeared into thin air.

Severus sighed with relief; it hadn't been easy, even though it had gone a lot better than he'd have expected. Obviously his Occlumency skills weren't only useful when dealing with the Dark Lord.

He turned back to the cupboard and reached out to open one of the doors; of course, it was locked. He definitely didn't want to start searching for the key now, and he couldn't use magic to open it, so this problem obviously required the use of a little force.

Rather than attempting to break the glass with his bare hands though, he took a brass candlestick from the desk and used it to smash one of the glass doors. In the stillness of the sleeping castle, the sound of the breaking glass seemed almost deafening. Severus reached inside the cupboard, took the book and then quickly left the office again.

As he walked back down the corridor, he looked around to make sure that there was nobody following him who might have been woken up by the noise he'd made in the headmaster's office. When he realised what he was doing, he immediately concentrated on not thinking about anything at all and keeping his mind as blank as he possibly could; after all, from what he'd seen up to now, even a mere thoughtless worry could be apt to cause the next unexpected event.

He counted his steps as he went down the stairs. He'd walked these stairs thousands of times, he'd counted his steps there more than once, and he was convinced that it was going to be the exact number he expected it to be; but at least the counting helped to keep his thoughts from drifting off again.

He'd just reached the main staircase leading down to the Entrance Hall when he heard footsteps. He walked on. This time he wasn't going to listen anymore; he'd been fooled by that thing often enough now.

"Professor?"

Potter. Severus stopped walking. Perhaps it would be better _not_ to ignore that. He turned around and saw the boy standing in the middle of the corridor. Alone.

"Where's Lupin?" Severus asked.

"I have no idea," Harry replied. "I wanted to talk to him, I was just about to go over to the guest quarters to look for him."

"So you haven't seen him since we got back."

"No. Why?"

"Because he was actually supposed to pick you up," Severus said and started walking down the stairs to the Entrance Hall. "Come along."

Harry hesitated only for a moment before he followed him.

"Something's wrong here, isn't it?" he asked as he walked down the stairs behind Snape.

"Exactly, Potter. Something's _very_ wrong here," Severus said. "What did you want to see Lupin about?"

"Oh, err, nothing," Harry muttered.

_Fine, don't tell me then. It's not as if I had any personal interest in what's going on in your head..._

"What's going on here?" Harry asked when they reached the Entrance Hall. "Is it here? That _thing_? Did it come with us?"

"Not quite, Potter," Severus replied absent-mindedly while contemplating what he should do about Lupin. "The actual problem is that we're still in the same place, it simply changed its appearance."

Harry's expression darkened, as if only now did he slowly begin to understand. "It shows us what we want to see," he said softly.

"Yes," Severus said and finally looked at him. "And this being needs our thoughts and memories to create everything around us. It's important that you don't give it anything to build on, so just try to think about nothing at all."

"And how exactly do you do _that_?" Harry asked.

"It shouldn't be too hard for _you_, should it?" Severus said. "However, if you can't manage, at least concentrate on thinking about something harmless. Flower fields, butterflies and the likes."

"Butterflies...," Harry muttered to himself. "So what are we going to do now? We'll have to find Remus."

Severus wasn't keen on wandering through the castle and searching for him. But he knew he couldn't very well show up back at Hogwarts – the real one – without Lupin either; Dumbledore probably wouldn't be very delighted if he told him that he'd accidentally lost him.

Just as he was thinking about whether he should make Potter wait somewhere or take him along, Harry started walking across the hall and towards the entrance doors.

"Potter! Come back here," he called him back. "We'll search for Lupin. You'll stay with me, where I can see you, and you will not wander off on your own. Is that understood?"

"I'm not an idiot, I can take care of myself."

"Whether or not you're an idiot isn't at issue right now and rest assured, I don't enjoy _your_ company either," Severus said and started walking towards the door leading down to the dungeons. "Come on."

Harry muttered something unintelligible that obviously wasn't meant for Snape's ears and then followed him across the hall.

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Author's Note: Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.

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Oya: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it; I hope you still got your report finished, wouldn't want to be responsible for that... ;)

Silverthreads: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it so far. Of course you were right, they're not quite back home yet.

Njja: Thank you for your review :) I'm glad you liked it.

bluebird161221: Thank you for your review, glad you liked it!

Persephone Lupin: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it :) Malfoy doesn't even know that Lupin was there so I guess he might not believe Snape if he told him that.

Earthwalk: Thank you! :) I'm trying to stay close to the books most of the time, I'm glad you think I managed to. I'll keep an eye on the sighing, thank you.

Athena Keating-Thomas: Thank you! I'm glad you're still reading and that you still like it :) As you can see, a certain amount of paranoia was definitely justified.

Makrillit: Thank you! I'm happy to see you're still reading and you still enjoy the story. And if you like reading _no_ romance, just stick with me ;) I guess it's highly unlikely I'll ever write one.

PPP: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you liked it :)


	19. The Eater Of Souls

The Eater Of Souls

Severus expected Lupin to be clever enough to come down to his office if he didn't find Potter in his dormitory. It was where they'd agreed to meet, so he should already be there again.

This time he listened to his footsteps as he walked down the stairs. And of course, there was nothing wrong about it now. But something else was wrong – it was much too cold down here, he could even see his own breath in the icy air.

As they moved along the corridor, the torches to his left and right lit up, casting an eerie glow onto the glossy dark walls. Severus reached out his left hand and let his fingers slide along the wall. Damp. It looked like a stalactite cave down here; _that_ definitely wasn't normal either.

He was a little surprised that nothing seemed to change although he'd noticed that it was wrong. That _thing_ had to be aware that he was up on its tricks by now, so perhaps it had lost interest in details. Or maybe it was just too busy with something else; Lupin, for example. Severus truly hoped not.

When they reached the corridor in front of his office, he realised that he'd obviously overestimated Lupin; he wasn't there.

"We'll wait here," he said, folded his arms and leaned back against the wall next to the door leading to his office.

"But you said we'd search for him," Harry said.

"He'll come down here sooner or later."

"What if he doesn't?"

"He will."

"What if he can't?"

"Stop it, Potter. Stop answering back to me all the time just for the sake of saying something."

"He might be in trouble. And he might need help."

"Oh yes? Then where would you suggest we started looking for him?" Severus asked. "In your six years as a student of this school, haven't you gotten even the slightest impression of how huge this castle is?"

"Yeah, I noticed _that_," Harry muttered. "But we still have to go back upstairs and try to find him."

"If we're going anywhere, we're going down to the lower dungeons. I'll send you back and then I'll search for him," Severus said while letting his gaze wander along the walls. The corridor looked narrower than usually and the ceiling seemed to be low enough for him to touch.

"Yeah, right, and then you'll just leave him here," Harry said and turned away from him. "I'll go find him now."

"You'll stay right here or I'll lock you up in my office," Severus said calmly, still contemplating his idea to forget about Lupin for the moment and try getting Potter back home instead.

"I bet you won't," Harry muttered and started walking back along the corridor.

"Potter! Come back here!"

He didn't, so Severus went after him and grabbed him by his arm to stop him. Harry whirled around and when their eyes met, Severus saw surprise, but much stronger than that – anger.

"Let go of me!" Harry yelled at him as he struggled to free himself from his relentless grip.

"Listen, I'm responsible for you and-"

"I never asked for that!" Harry shouted, glaring at him out of eyes glittering with fury. "Just leave me alone!"

The moment he said this, a powerful gust of wind suddenly raced through the corridor, blew out the torches on the walls, pushed Severus away from Harry and threw him to the ground. As suddenly as the wind had appeared, it was gone again, the torches lit up and the dungeons lay as quiet and peaceful as ever.

_Splendid. That's the second time I ended up on the floor in just one night._

As Severus slowly got back to his feet, Harry just stood there motionless and stared at him in total disbelieve of what had just happened, or rather, what _he_ had just done.

"I.... I didn't mean to..." he stammered. "Did _I_ do that?"

_Of course you did, you little idiot. Who else? Do you think I'd try to knock myself out?_

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered quickly.

Severus was well aware that he wasn't sorry at all; he was convinced that if the boy had _any_ control over what he was doing he'd probably have made him hit the wall. Hard

"Listen closely, Potter," Severus said quietly, dusting off his coat. "I didn't ask to be assigned as your personal babysitter either. But right now, I'm responsible for you. I take my responsibilities rather seriously, and I'll do what it takes to fulfil my duties. That means we have two options now: you can either do as I tell you, or I'll make you. It's your choice."

"But we can't leave Remus here."

"Lupin is none of your business. I'm responsible for him as I am for you, and I don't intend to leave him behind. _Now_ though we'll go down to the lower dungeons and try to get _you_ back to Hogwarts."

He watched Harry thinking about what he'd said, trying to make his decision.

"The fewer people there are here, the better," Severus added as an explanation, deciding that since he didn't really have any means to make the boy do as he was told, it might be his best choice to try reasoning with him. "That being feeds on us; each of us provides it with emotions and memories, making it stronger every minute. The more time we waste, the more difficult it will become for _any_ of us to get away from here again."

_Trying to appeal to a Gryffindor's rationality – what a clever idea. Well, I could still just knock him out and drag him downstairs._

"Then _you_ go, if you want to," Harry said and started walking away from him again. "I don't need anyone to look after me."

Severus watched him walking along the corridor and contemplated whether it was a good idea to provoke another of Potter's outbreaks of wandless magic; he decided that he wasn't going to chance it. Instead, he'd just run after him once again.

When he reached the next corner he could see the stairs leading up to the Entrance Hall. They looked at least twice as long as usual and on top of these stairs there was Potter, trying in vain to open the heavy wooden door blocking his way.

Harry turned around and shot him an angry glare.

"Unlock it," he said.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You locked that door because you didn't want me to go back and search for him. And you didn't want him to be able to follow us."

"And how would I have done that? That door doesn't even _have_ a lock."

"Wandless magic?" Harry suggested.

_Yes, of course, locking doors is what I trained years and years for... _"It might be trying to keep us separated. Or it might be you who's causing this. _I'm_ definitely not doing anything."

Harry slammed his fist against the door and then angrily kicked it several times with his left foot.

"Damaging school property will earn you not only at least a week of detention but also a lengthy talk with the headmaster."

Harry glared down at him angrily for a moment, then his features softened and he lazily started walking down the stairs again. "This isn't even Hogwarts, so I guess I couldn't be damaging school property."

_Looks like the boy who lived finally has come to realise that he's not almighty, he's not invincible and he does not always know what to do._

Harry reached the bottom of the stairs, leaned back against the wall and lowered his eyes to the ground. "So what are we going to do now?" he asked quietly.

_You're asking me what to do? You must be desperate. _"We'll go down to the lower dungeons and send you back home."

"And then you'll find Remus."

"Exactly."

Harry looked up at him out of narrowed eyes. "I don't trust you," he then said.

"I know." _Although you should, shouldn't you? I could have just left you with Malfoy after all... _"But there are times when you don't have a choice. Look around – you're the one who's making the dungeons look like this, not me. It's playing with you, using you; your presence here poses a danger to everyone involved."

"And of course you're convinced that you'd be able to deal with that demon or whatever it is better than me, right?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I am."

"And what exactly makes you think so?"

"I'm older, I'm wiser and I finished my Occlumency lessons," Snape replied. "Come on," he added, then he started walking and motioned the boy to follow.

Harry did, even if only reluctantly and annoyingly slow. Severus didn't care. Potter had given in. For the first time _ever_ he'd given in. He wasn't fool enough to believe that the boy had really come to his senses but at least for now he could finally concentrate on the real problem here instead of wasting his time discussing everything with the little brat.

And he'd definitely still have enough problems left once he got Potter back home. Lupin, for instance. Severus had no idea how he was supposed to find him. And he didn't really want to risk his life by trying to.

Well, then... why not really leave him here?

He could. Sure, Dumbledore wouldn't like it. But he could lie to him; the old man would believe whatever he told him. And once Potter was back at Hogwarts, there'd be no witness. No one would ever know what had really happened here.

Lupin was the last one, the only one of them still left. He hated that damn werewolf. And now he could get rid of him once and for all. Actually he could even kill him with his own hands and nobody would ever find out.

Severus felt a shiver running through him as he became aware of his own thoughts.

_That's not me._

No, that couldn't be him. He wouldn't think something like that, let alone _do_ it.

It was that demon. It was evil, pure evil. He'd felt it right from the start. It had been creeping up on him, coming closer all the time, and now it was slowly invading his mind.

It was really about time they all got out of this place.

As they reached the painting in front the entrance to the lower dungeons, Severus was surprised to find the wizard in the portrait not sitting in his usual place at his desk but slowly pacing up and down his study.

He'd just been about to simply give him the password and not pay attention to this when the wizard with the silvery grey hair became aware of their presence and turned around to face him.

"Professor," he said in a low voice and greeted him with a nod. "And the formerly invisible Gryffindor. I've been expecting you."

"You have?" Harry said.

"Of course I have," the wizard in the painting replied, stepping a little closer and looking at him out of narrowed eyes. "I knew someone had to show up sooner or later," he said slowly. "And it wasn't difficult to guess who it would be."

"How could you have known?" Harry asked.

The wizard in the painting turned away from him again and walked over to the window at the back of his study to look out into the painted night sky. "The stars look very different today," he whispered.

"Give it up, Potter; you won't get a straight answer from him. He's only here because we make him be," Severus said. "Anguis aeternus," he then said to the man in the portrait. "Let us through now and stop wasting our time."

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Professor," the wizard replied without turning around. "Of course you made me be here. But I'm still a little more than just a product of your imagination. I'm real, and I'm here, just like you. But unlike you, I'm free to leave whenever I desire to."

"Really?" Severus asked sceptically. "Then why would you linger here?"

"You do too, don't you?"

"Not by choice."

The man in the painting turned away from the window and slowly walked back across his study until he seemed to be standing right behind the canvas. "And you shouldn't," he whispered. "The passageway is closing. If you stay too long, you'll stay forever."

Severus looked at him out of narrowed eyes. "Tell me, Lord Macius: if you really _are _here, how did you _get_ here?"

He smiled at him in return. "I didn't think it would be difficult for you to figure that out," he said. "You stepped through the painting and entered my world. Everything here is nothing but a shadow of what has once been, or what could once be. A book or a painting, your memories, your dreams – they're all glimpses of reality. And that's what _it_ needs to create its own world."

"_It_?" Severus asked.

"You've seen it, you've looked it straight in the eye," the wizard with the silvery grey hair said. "And you know that it doesn't want you to leave."

Yes, that he knew; it was obvious enough.

"But what _is_ that thing?" Harry asked quietly.

"You already know that, Mr. Potter," the man in the painting replied and slowly walked back across the room to look out of the window again. "You already know."

With that said the painting swung aside and uncovered the dark and narrow staircase leading down to the lower dungeons.

Severus stepped through the portrait hole into the darkness. He knew that this was all he was going to hear from Lord Macius; actually it had already been a much clearer and more elaborate statement than one could usually hope for when dealing with him.

Harry though wouldn't settle for what he'd been told. "What do you mean, I already know?" he asked. "Wouldn't ask if I did, would I?"

"A good question outranks an easy answer," the wizard in the painting replied, his voice sounding low and dull as the portrait was now facing the wall.

Harry shook his head. "What do you mean by that? Do you just not _want_ to give me a clear answer or what?"

"Potter, come on now," Severus said.

Harry hesitated for a moment, then rolled his eyes at the painted wizard and stepped through the portrait hole as well.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked in a low voice as soon as he'd walked down the first few steps. "I mean, he's not quite normal, is he?"

"I don't know," Severus replied as he walked further down the narrow stairs. "He's always been like that."

The painting swung back into place and left them in complete darkness. For the first time ever, Severus would have appreciated Lupin being around; he couldn't deny that he was really good at conjuring those glowing lights. He'd tried it himself but since he hadn't been able to come up with anything useful he'd given up on it again quite soon. And despite being well aware what a tricky affair wandless magic was and that he was barely able to influence what he could and what he couldn't accomplish, it still bugged him that there was something Lupin could do better than him.

He definitely wasn't going to try that spell now and risk making a fool out of himself in front of Potter junior. Fortunately there were other ways to clear things up a little, even though maybe not as impressive.

"_Amnisardis_," Severus whispered and waved his hand towards the ground. There was a low humming sound and then the water on the damp stone stairs started to glow, sending a weak pulsating greenish light into the darkness.

Severus was pleased with himself; considering that it had been years since he'd last used that spell, it had worked out surprisingly well. It really wasn't the most useful of spells; there weren't many sensible reasons for making water glow in the dark.

The light was too weak to see the end of the stairs as they descended further down. Severus felt like it took them unusually long to reach the lower dungeons.

Once they'd left the stairs behind, he turned left and walked along the narrow corridor, Harry following him closely. It was even colder down here and deadly silent, but at least here there were torches on the walls.

They'd just walked past a small and dark side corridor when Severus felt Harry's hand on his arm, holding him back. He whirled around and was just about to tell the kid to keep his hands off him, but Potter looked straight into his eyes and then quietly nodded towards the side corridor they'd just passed. Then Severus heard the footsteps too; far away, faint but insistent.

Malfoy. It was the first thing that came to his mind. He'd expected Malfoy and Thesdale to follow him sooner or later and by now he'd wasted enough time in this fake castle, giving them a good chance to catch up with him. If Malfoy really was here, that meant trouble.

Severus glanced around and his eyes fell on two crossed swords, mounted atop a large metal shield on the opposite wall. Without making a sound, he crossed the hallway and carefully took one of the swords from the wall. It was an old sword but it should still be good enough to... well, it was better than nothing.

With the sword in his hand he walked back to Harry and motioned him to stay where he was. Harry wanted to object but Severus shook his head and mouthed the words "Wait here" to him, giving him a look that made clear he meant it. If that _was_ Malfoy, it would already be a problem without Potter running straight into his arms. The time for playing tricks on his old friend was probably over now, especially with Potter around; he'd have to take the straight way now.

He threw one last glance at Harry to make sure he did as he'd been told and then slowly started walking along the dark corridor.

There were no torches here, so all the light he had was that coming from the hallway behind him. He could still hear the footsteps, but he couldn't make out where the sound came from or where it was moving. The sound was soft and faint, as if it was coming from the floor above him. The problem with that was that there were a few feet of solid stone between here and the dungeons above through which it was impossible to hear anything at all, let alone footsteps.

Holding the sword's handle tightly in his right hand he stopped walking and stood listening, trying to make out where the sound was coming from.

_Me and an old sword against Malfoy and Thesdale. That's a really, really stupid idea._

He closed his eyes for a second and concentrated only on what he heard.

_One. That's only one person. It's coming from above... It can't be. Must be the echo down here, it's playing tricks on me..._

Quietly, he walked on. He'd already moved too far down the corridor for the light from the hallway to reach him, it was almost completely dark here.

Suddenly the sound of the footsteps changed; louder, closer, clearer; right behind him.

Raising the sword he whirled around. Someone was standing right in front of him. Severus aimed straight at his chest. Just before he hit him, he let the sword drop from his hand; it fell to the ground with a loud clatter and the other man jumped backwards.

It was Lupin.

_Close._ Severus could feel his heart racing. _Too close._

"What's wrong with you!" Severus yelled at him. "I could have killed you, damn it!"

Lupin looked a bit shaken and just stared at him for a second. "Well, glad you didn't," he then said. "Must be my lucky day."

Severus shook his head at him and picked the sword up from the ground. "A word of advice, Lupin," he said in a more quiet voice. "If you want to live – don't sneak up on me." Then he started slowly walking back along the corridor.

"I'll remember that," Lupin replied and followed him. "And trust me, it wasn't my intention."

"Did you get lost or what were you doing there?" Severus asked.

"What do you mean, what was I...," he let his voice trail off and glanced around. "Well," he said slowly. "I've got to admit that I have no idea. I can't even tell how I got here..."

They'd only made it halfway back down the corridor when they met Harry, coming towards them and carrying along the second sword.

"I thought I told you to wait," Severus hissed.

"Yeah, but I heard-" Harry started to explain, but he didn't get any further.

"Give me that," Severus interrupted him and took the sword from his hand. "That's not a toy," he muttered and walked past him back to the hall.

"Harry," Lupin greeted him. "_Here _you are. I'm glad I finally found you, I've been looking for you all over."

"Yeah," Harry said. He was still standing in the middle of the corridor and staring after Snape. "I was just trying to help..." he muttered.

"I know," Lupin replied and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Don't take it personally, it seems he's under a little too much stress. I suppose we all are. Come on now."

They followed Snape back to the hall where he'd just put the swords back on the wall where they belonged.

"Do you think you could explain what you mean by saying that you don't know how you got here?" Severus asked as he turned around to face them.

"I'm not sure," Lupin replied. "I went up to Gryffindor tower. Harry wasn't there so I wanted to look for him in some other places. Then I got lost."

"You got lost," Severus repeated.

"Everything was different and wrong," Lupin explained. "I walked along a corridor on the second floor, turned around the corner and found myself in a corridor on the fourth floor. When I turned back around, I didn't get back to where I came from but ended up somewhere completely different. I was actually just walking out of a classroom on the first floor when I found myself standing right in front of you."

Severus nodded. "We've got the book, and we've got Mr. Potter here, so let's move on before things start getting even more complicated."

"You're talking about Malfoy showing up here," Lupin said.

"For example," Severus replied and started walking, Lupin and Harry following him.

They walked in silence and soon reached the door to the storeroom. Severus tried to open it, but it was locked.

"Anyone good in unlocking doors?" he asked.

"Afraid no," Lupin replied.

"Very well," Severus replied. "We'll kick it in then."

"It's here," Harry suddenly whispered and both men turned their attention away from the wooden door blocking their way.

There it was indeed, standing only a few steps away from them. Severus wasn't too surprised that it had once again decided to take on the appearance of his father; that thing was obviously quite fond of him.

Snape and Lupin both reached out for Harry and pulled him backwards by his shoulders to make him stand behind them.

"So this is where we meet again," it said in a soft and silky voice that Severus knew sounded so much like his own.

"Yes, again," Severus said. "And again you're hiding behind a mask. Why don't you show your true face for a change."

"My true face? I have a million faces."

It smiled coldly, its black eyes glittering. Then suddenly its appearance began to change. The person standing in front of them seamlessly transformed into Sirius Black. Then, only a moment later, it was a pale little boy in ragged clothes with blood running down his forehead. Then a Dementor, Harry's mother, and his father. A tall blond man, Dumbledore, a person hidden under a black hooded robe, an old woman with white hair. Finally it turned back into the tall man with the piercing black eyes.

"Impressive," Lupin said, trying to sound not impressed at all. "But we've seen that before. _Who are you_?"

"Every child knows me; there's not one little boy, not one little girl that hasn't looked straight into my eyes at least once. And you too remember me well, each of you knows who I am. Man's conviction that he can understand everything if he can only call it by its name gave me many different ones. Some called me Ahriman, others Charun or Belial. Some may just call me the Master of Dread, the Demon of Chaos or the Bogeyman. I have a million names and I have none, and it doesn't even matter."

"Now that you finally introduced yourself," Severus said, "let me reword the question: _what_ are you?"

"It's beyond your grasp to understand what I am. I'm eternal and immortal, I'm fear and I'm pain. I'm darkness, I'm shadow, I'm night. I'm the eater of souls and the devourer of worlds. I am and I shall always be."

"If you're so almighty, why are you wasting your time playing these silly little games? Locking doors, moving around corridors, turning off the lights?"

"Unlike you, I don't fear the ever moving sands of time. It means nothing to me; I'm counting no age. I've been here before time was. You can't even begin to understand the extent of my eternity; it's a million times more than anything you can imagine, and a million times more than that."

Snape and Lupin threw each other a sceptical look.

"That thing is even more annoying than the book," Lupin said.

"And yet not even half as useful," Severus replied.

"A waste of time, I'd say."

"I have to agree. Speaking about the book..." Severus said and pulled the book out of his coat's pocket. It didn't escape him that the demon's eyes followed his every move and seemed to be glued to the book; he'd already expected him to be rather interested in it. "I'm actually a bit surprised that we still have it. That it didn't simply disappear, burst into flames or something similar."

"You're right," Lupin said softly, cocked his head to the side and threw Snape's father an inquisitive look. "I suppose if it _could_, it would already have destroyed it. The book warned us more than once; it warned us of coming here in the first place, and it warned us of our host's presence. It told us that this place might not be what we think it is, and I suppose it might even show us the way out."

"You can't, right?" Severus asked and made a step towards the demon, holding the book up in front of its eyes. "This is what you want, but you can't take it from us. As almighty as you are, this little book will always be your invincible counterpart."

For a while they stared at each other out of equally cold black eyes without saying a word, seemingly oblivious of anyone else's presence. Then Snape's father turned away from him to look at Lupin.

"Only silver can slash the werewolf's flesh," he whispered, his eyes glittering. "Your time will come, Remus Lupin. Sooner than you think."

As suddenly as the demon had turned up, it disappeared again, but its words still hung menacingly in the frosty air of the dungeons.

Harry was the first to speak again. "What do you think he meant by that?" he asked quietly.

Severus noticed that Lupin had gone rather pale upon hearing about his impending death and probably hadn't even listened to Potter.

"Nothing," Severus said, directing his reply more at Lupin himself than at Potter. "It's simply trying to scare us. I'd more likely believe in all the nonsense Trelawney keeps predicting than pay heed to a word that demon says."

"Yeah. It's just another one of its little games," Lupin agreed without sounding entirely convinced. "However, I think we were just about to kick in a door."

"Why did it leave so suddenly?" Severus said to himself and started turning some pages in the book.

"Maybe it just grew tired of us," Lupin replied while he tried once more to open the door to the storeroom.

"Or maybe..." Severus said softly, letting his voice trail off as he examined the latest addition to their little book. It was a drawing of two hooded figures standing in front of the doors of Hogwarts castle; obvious enough. "Maybe it found itself a new toy. Malfoy's here."

"Great," Lupin muttered.

A moment later a loud crashing sound echoed through the dungeons. Severus looked up from the book and saw that Lupin had kicked the door out of its hinges.

"We've got no time to waste, do we?" Lupin said and stepped into the room.

The storeroom looked exactly like they'd left it, the painting was still there and even the rune stones were still laying on the floor.

"Good," Severus said while taking a look around. "You two go now, I'll wait for Malfoy."

"Why?" Lupin asked.

"Because if Potter managed to escape, that's what he'd expect me to do."

"So you're going to tell him that Harry _somehow_ slipped through your fingers yet again?" Lupin asked. "He won't buy that, and you know it. Even if he did, I bet someone else probably wouldn't be very happy about your performance here."

"I've dealt with _him_ a couple of times before. And I don't intend him to find out about it anyway."

"Why risk it? If we leave and take the book with us, Malfoy will never get away from here again, and You-Know-Who will never even know you were here."

"He might find another way out. I can't rely on that."

Lupin shook his head at him. "And then what? Assuming that painting leads back to Hogwarts, do you want to take him there?"

"Yes," Severus replied. "That's exactly where I want him. And then I want him locked up in a deep dark dungeon to never see the light of day again."

"But he's not worth the risk!" Lupin said. "He's a convicted Death Eater, everyone knows that. He's nothing."

"You have no idea how much influence he has. You don't know what you're talking about."

Severus was beginning to lose his patience with him. It was _his_ decision to make and he wasn't going to discuss it. Especially not with Lupin.

"This whole discussion is useless; we don't even know if it works," Severus said. "Now go. _If_ it leads back to Hogwarts, I need someone there waiting and ready to knock Malfoy out as soon as he gets there."

Lupin looked at him thoughtfully. "I still think it's stupid."

"You're free to think that."

"Fine. There's obviously no way of reasoning you out of this, but I'd at least like to suggest staying as well. Just in case Malfoy won't fall for your story."

"It would only make things more complicated. And we can't let Potter go alone anyway," Severus said and held the book out to him.

Lupin hesitated but then took it. "Just make sure you come back. Minerva's going to kill me if you don't," he said as he walked over to the painting. "Although that's probably something you'd like to see."

He stepped into the circle of rune stones, opened the book, turned some pages and then looked up again. "What actually tells us that this is the way back now?" he asked. "The book doesn't say anything at all."

"I for one don't have any better ideas," Severus replied.

"Last time it warned us, right?" Harry said. "So I guess if it says nothing, that's a good sign."

_See, Potter? Think before you speak and even you might come up with something halfway intelligent from time to time._

"I'll just read the incantation we used when we got here then," Lupin said and began searching for the right page at the beginning of the book.

"Lupin," Severus said and he looked up again. "I'm not sure, but there are some things that would indicate that time there runs slower than it does here. So even though it might take me some time here-"

"Don't worry," Lupin said. "We'll be ready."

Severus nodded and then Lupin began to read the incantation. He tossed him the book and a moment later Snape and Harry witnessed him being drawn into the painting.

"Mr. Potter," Severus said, gave him the book and Harry walked over to where Lupin had been standing only a moment ago.

Harry was just about to start reading the incantation but then paused. "You'd better hurry," he said. "The guy in the portrait, he said the passage was closing."

"Stop wasting time then," Severus replied.

And as if on call, the demon appeared again, this time in the form of Sirius Black, standing between them and facing Potter.

"Harry, don't," he said and slowly moved towards him. "Don't leave me here to die."

Harry made a step backwards, away from him. The moment his left foot touched the floor outside the rune circle, long thin vines that seemed to consist entirely of stone shot out of the wall next to him and wrapped themselves tightly around his leg. Harry tried to free himself but he didn't have a chance. He reached down and tried to remove the stony vines from his leg but they were just too strong.

Severus noticed that the vines didn't reach inside the circle, neither did they pull the boy outside. "Potter, don't move any further. Stay inside the circle," he said. It was only a guess, but he hoped he was right.

Black turned to him. He looked angry. Severus sneered at him.

"You can't touch the book, and you can't enter the circle, right?" Severus asked.

"I think it's about time I got rid of _you_ once and for all," the demon whispered.

"What do you want to do? Kill me? I don't think you can," Severus said.

"But I can make you wish you _were_ dead," he hissed.

"You need me."

"I want the boy."

"He's out of your reach already."

"Give me the boy, and you're free to leave."

"You don't want him," Severus replied. "You'd tire of him very soon."

"I need one," Black said through gritted teeth. "I've been waiting for too long."

"I know," Severus said softly. "_One_ of us is what you need. You can only concentrate on one. But you need one who can give you much more than that kid. All the time you focused on him, you barely even noticed _me_. I assure you, I have a lot more to offer than just a psychopathic father and a dead cat."

Black looked at him out of narrowed eyes. Severus glanced past him at Harry, their eyes met and the boy nodded.

Severus knew that now he'd have to drop his defences. He would allow that demon a glimpse of what he'd been hiding; just enough to keep him interested and make him forget about Potter for a moment.

He was a little surprised that he actually found it difficult; keeping his guard up at all times by now seemed to come naturally to him.

He could sense the demon; he could feel its presence inside his mind. It was searching, rummaging among his memories and trying to find anything it wasn't supposed to find.

Severus saw the stony vines beginning to crumble and then fall down to the floor in pieces, setting Harry free, allowing him to pull his foot away and back inside the circle.

"Potter, go," he said. "Leave the book right there."

Harry hesitated.

"_Now_," Severus said.

The demon turned away from him to see what was going on and as soon as Severus felt his presence retreating from his mind, he concentrated on blocking him out again. It was easy, just like slamming a door shut in his face. And that was definitely going to be the last that demon saw of him; it would have to find itself a new victim.

Severus heard Harry whispering the incantation, the demon turned away from the boy and back around to face him. Then it went pitch black around him.

It was cold. He couldn't see a thing but he felt that he was falling. Fast. He knew that it was only a matter of seconds before he'd hit the ground.

_It can't kill me._

He couldn't see the earth below him but he could feel it coming closer.

_It can't kill me._

Then he suddenly felt the ground under him. He was lying on his back; it was cold and silent all around.

_I'm still alive. I knew it._

-

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-

* * *

Author's Note: I'm sorry that it's taken me so long, unfortunately I barely had any time for writing lately. At least it's a really long chapter ;)

Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews, it makes me happy that you enjoyed the story so far and I hope you're still reading and enjoyed this chapter as well.

Oh, and just in case someone thought it sounded familiar: the line 'the stars look very different today' was borrowed from David Bowie's 'Space Oddity'.


	20. Alone

Alone

Severus opened his eyes to total darkness; there was no ceiling and no sky, everything was just completely black.

For a while he just lay there, peering into that darkness and hoping that his eyes would eventually adjust to it so he'd at least be able to figure out where he was. He let his fingers slide across the floor; it felt cold and rough. Stone.

He thought about whether he should get up from the ground at all. He was tired; he didn't even want to find out what that demon had in store for him next, and he didn't know where to go or what to do anyway. Eventually though, he decided that he didn't want to lie around here for the rest of his days either and sat up.

"Where are you?" he asked into the darkness. It surprised him a little how loud his own voice sounded in the silence that surrounded him. "If you want anything from me, you'll have to come to me. Because I'm not going to move an inch away from here."

He got no reply, everything remained dark and quiet.

It was what he'd hoped for. Obviously there wasn't much the demon could do once the victim stopped providing the necessary information. Nonetheless, Severus was quite convinced that his opponent wouldn't give up so easily. And although shutting that demon out of his thoughts seemed to work rather well for now, it still demanded a certain amount of concentration, and he wasn't sure just how long he'd be able to keep his guard up like this.

He blinked into the darkness. He had to be somewhere in the dungeons, otherwise it wouldn't be so dark. Unless, of course, he wasn't inside Hogwarts any longer.

Carefully he got back to his feet, stood up straight and raised his hand to touch the stone above him. There were no more than three inches of space between his head and the ceiling.

Standing there in the dark and hearing nothing but his own breathing, he suddenly realised that he was alone. Now it was just him and his own mind against that demon. Often enough he'd claimed that he preferred being on his own. And he'd been convinced that it was true. But then, maybe he'd never before been _so _alone.

The thought of having to spend the rest of his life here suddenly invaded his mind. How long would that be? Could he even die here at all?

Eternity. Here. Alone.

He shook off the mere idea. It would all work out. Everything he planned always worked out. Although this time he didn't have a plan. Not yet, at least.

The book should be inside the rune circle now and therefore safer than if he'd taken it along. Next he had to find Malfoy and then all he needed was a little time without the demon at his heels so they could make it back to the painting.

He'd have to sacrifice a pawn – Thesdale. He'd need a diversion and Thesdale was the perfect man for the job. Ignorant moron; without ever realising it he'd always been just a puppet with someone else pulling the strings, and it would be no different now.

_But who am I to judge that._

"I could really use some light," he whispered to himself as he slowly stepped forward while holding his hand out in front of him to keep himself from running straight into a wall. His fingertips touched something solid and he instinctively pulled back his hand. A wall.

He followed it until he reached a corner, turned left and then he saw light. It was a weak green glow at the end of a narrow corridor.

Severus stopped walking. "Ah, I see," he said softly. "You're still here then."

Now he finally knew where he was. He'd been here countless times before, in his dreams. For years he'd had those nightmares about the dark corridor and the strange green light, but that had been so long ago, he'd almost forgotten about it. But now he was here again; he was home again.

The demon must have caught a glimpse of this old memory in those few seconds when he'd actually allowed him to see inside his mind. It wasn't something Severus would have expected him to pick, but at least another little trip back to Snape Manor was something he could easily deal with.

Slowly, he started walking towards the light. He'd never done that in his dreams. Because he'd always known that he shouldn't; that something bad would happen if he came too close to the green light, that it was evil. Now the demon obviously expected him to run away just like he'd always done, but he wasn't going to play along.

"A child's nightmare?" Severus asked into the darkness. Obviously, the demon couldn't even distinguish between something that had really happened and something his mind had only made up. "That's just a memory of a dream, it's never been real."

"All dreams are real."

There was the familiar voice again, his father's voice. Severus didn't see him yet but he heard his footsteps moving towards him. A moment later a tall man with long black hair stepped out of the green glowing light at the end of the corridor and stood before him, his arms folded over his chest.

"They might be real to you, but not to us," Severus replied.

"Yet they scare you."

"Actually, they're not even scary anymore when revisited in our waking hours."

His father looked at him out of narrowed eyes. "I see," he said thoughtfully. "As primitive and weak as you mortals are, there still seems to be a lot about you I don't understand."

"Why? In all this time, haven't you found enough guinea pigs?"

"Not many are able to withstand my powers long enough."

"You said you've been waiting for one for too long already. So time _does_ mean something to you after all, doesn't it?"

His father smiled at him. Severus knew that it wasn't a good smile; it was a dangerous smile. "You don't believe that you can really take me on, do you? The mind of a mortal man, whose lifespan is nothing more than a blink of the eye compared to even the short history of mankind? Against a mind older than time itself and wiser than any man could ever even dream about?"

"Oh, I believe I can."

His father's smile grew even wider. "I've met only a few of your kind. More powerful than other mortals and, as it seems, even more arrogant," he said. "So arrogant even though you've always known that you're a coward and a failure. Your father already told you that, didn't he, Severus? He always knew it, too."

"My father's dead and gone."

"Dead, yes," he replied softly. "But no one who's dead is ever truly gone. Death isn't the end, Severus. It's just a beginning; it never ends." His smile turned into a broad evil grin. "But you knew _that_, didn't you?"

"Do you really think I care about what you're telling me? You're a liar. You're playing with false realities, you're pretending and deceiving. You can't even tell the difference between a lie and the truth. It's all the same to you."

"But aren't you a liar, too? A traitor and a turncoat, caught in this tangled web of lies you weave?"

Severus remained silent; he'd had enough of the demon by now. He didn't want to discuss his life with that thing, and he didn't want to entertain it any longer.

"Where's your sharp tongue now? Did the truth leave you speechless?"

Severus kept looking at him with the most indifferent expression he could manage.

"Or do you just not _want_ to speak to me?"

_More likely._

"Talk to me. Tell me everything. Trust me," his father whispered, his voice now suddenly persuasive instead of cold and threatening. "Don't you know you're so much like me? I know you better than anyone ever will."

_No, I'm not. And I won't talk to you. Often enough I've been told how annoyingly stubborn I am; let's see if you can outlast me._

"I know where you've been, what you've done and what you've seen. I know everything about you."

_I can't imagine you do._

"If you want to understand, you'll have to change your point of view," his father said softly. "You have to stop seeing me as your enemy, because I'm not. And you'll have to realise that you need look no further than at your own reflection to discover my true identity."

"Come," he added after a moment's silence and turned away from him. He started slowly walking towards the light and motioned him to follow. "Come with me." Then he stepped into the light and the green glow swallowed him.

Severus felt tempted to follow him, as if some unseen power was drawing him towards the green light. But he didn't want to do just as he was expected to do. He turned around to take the opposite direction and found his way back blocked by a cast iron gate.

"I see," he said to himself. "So I'm not even given a choice any longer."

Without hesitating, he followed his father into the green glow. As he stepped inside he was forced to close his eyes when the weak glow turned into a bright and almost blinding light.

Now he felt the demon's presence closer than ever before. He was surrounded by the same coldness, anxiety and horror he'd felt when they'd gone through the painting to get here, but now the feeling was a hundred times more intense, almost unbearable. Its presence was everywhere around him, constantly drawing nearer as this world kept tightening its grip on him.

"You can't fight me forever."

The voice was barely more than a whisper, but it was coming from everywhere around him and echoing in his ears.

"Don't be a fool. You know you'll never win."

His heart was beating faster, and it was becoming harder and harder to breathe. He felt cold, sick and weak.

_The physical effects of fear, nothing more._

His hands were shaking, and he felt that his knees were about to give in. His instincts told him to run, but, at the same time, he was unable to move, paralyzed with fear. More than that; panic.

_Concentrate. Fight it._

He'd never felt fear like this before, not when he'd been surrounded by Dementors and not when they'd locked him up in Azkaban; not even when his master had drawn his wand on him.

"I'm stronger than you. I can make your defences crumble down. I can break you."

_No. I'm not giving up so soon._

"I can bring you to your knees."

Severus tried to fight the fear. He told himself that it was irrational and unfounded.

He felt the demon's presence invading his mind. There was no way he could shut him out any longer, not like this.

"I can destroy you."

The words rang loudly in his ears and caused a stinging pain inside his head. He raised his hands to cover his ears but it made no difference, the whisper just kept growing louder while the pain became more intense. He gasped for air. His heart was beating so fast now that he feared it was going to tear his chest apart.

"I can break you, Severus."

He dropped to his knees, his hands still covering his ears. The world was swirling around him, and the force of gravity seemed to become stronger, crushing his body to the ground and leaving him unable to move.

"Easily."

Then all of a sudden, it was gone. It was dark and silent once again. The blinding light, the whispering voice and the unbearable fear, it was all gone.

He could breathe easy now, and his heartbeat also seemed to return to normal.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. At first, he saw only darkness, but, after a moment, he could make out a person standing a few steps away from him. Black robes and black leather boots.

Severus felt weak. He wouldn't be able to fight the demon much longer. Actually, he was rather sure that it could already have won this time.

Just like it had said – it could easily break him. But then why hadn't it?

_It didn't want to. That's the only logical explanation. But why?_

"Now look at you," his father said softly. "You're so pathetic. Despite knowing that you don't stand a chance, you're still not willing to give in. That's neither a sign of courage nor of strength, it's merely stupid and obstinate."

Severus let his eyes wander through the dusty and almost empty room; yes, he was definitely back home.

"And what for really? Do you ever pause and reflect on what you're doing, and why you're doing it?"

"No, I don't," he muttered. _Right now I'm more interested in why _you_ do what you do._

Slowly, Severus stood up. He still felt a little shaky and had to keep one hand on the wall to support himself.

"Well, thinking has never been your strongest side, has it?"

"I suppose not," Severus replied indifferently.

"But it might be about time for you to think about a few things now."

"Really? And what would that be?"

"Your arrogance, for instance," his father said. "You're very proud of yourself, aren't you? You're so important and so valuable; you're something special. But they don't appreciate you as much as you deserve, do they? It doesn't have to be that way, you know?"

Severus remained silent. He knew from experience that a few minutes of silence would suffice to drive his father mad. And he'd also found that silence was often very effective whenever he wanted to be left alone or when he tried to get rid of someone; people quickly tired of talking to themselves, maybe demons did too.

"You're risking so much, and they know that. But does anyone ever thank you for it?"

"I'm not asking for it," Severus said in a low voice.

"They don't even care how hard you've got it. They're all just using you."

"That's not true," Severus replied and at the same moment regretted that he'd even opened his mouth. It was harder for him to take no heed of his words than he'd have expected. _Maybe it's true. Maybe he's not lying now._

"You know it's true," his father said. "You're the black sheep that found its way back to the light. But Dumbledore knows that it doesn't mean that you've changed; you're still the same man."

"I don't think I am," Severus said.

"It doesn't matter what _you_ think. The only thing that matters is what _they_ think. And they all know that you can't be trusted. They'll always doubt you, but they'll try not to let you notice; not as long as they still need you. And once it's over, Dumbledore will send you back to Azkaban where you belong."

"No, he won't," Severus muttered defiantly.

"You can't be so stupid as not to realise that. He doesn't give a damn about you; nobody does!"

_It's true._

"They don't even care if you live or die; if they did, they wouldn't keep sending you back to your old master. And they wouldn't expect you to risk your life to protect that little brat Potter," his father said, folding his arms and slowly taking a step towards him to look straight into his eyes. "Why are you here? Why did they pick you?" he whispered. "Think about it, and tell me I'm wrong."

_I made a promise to Dumbledore. It's my own free will._

But still... Had Dumbledore ever told him that he appreciated what he did? Ever? Had he ever even had so much as a 'well done' for him? No, of course not. All he did was to ask more and more of him.

_No, wait. He had. He told me that I'm doing a good job. I remember that._

_Do I really remember it? Or am I just imagining that I remember it?_

Severus realised that it was becoming difficult for him to distinguish between his imagination and what had really happened. He was losing his grip on reality.

_It's inside my head._

_A wall. Build a wall._

He remembered how Dumbledore had taught him to completely shut anyone out of his mind. He'd never used it against his master, because it would make it very obvious that he was hiding something. It was his last line of defence, the only thing he could do in case someone would try to force him to give away anything that had to remain secret.

Severus concentrated on banishing the demon from his mind and building up walls around him and it actually seemed to work, at least his thoughts were beginning to become clearer.

_It's trying to confuse me. It wants me to believe what it tells me and what it shows me._

_Yes, that's what you want._ _You want more than just my memories._

"A willing victim. That's what you need," Severus said. "You told Potter that you weren't strong enough to come with him yet, but that he could help you."

His father watched him out of narrowed eyes, wearing a curious expression.

"You need someone to take you to the other side," he continued. "But you can't force me to help you. You tried to scare me to make me obey, but it didn't work. And now you try to persuade me, to make me trust you."

The demon stared at him, his expression full of suppressed anger.

"I'm afraid you picked the wrong guy," Severus said with a victorious smile on his lips. "You'd definitely have been better off with Potter. I can see through you now, you can't fool me any longer. You can't manipulate me when I know what you're trying to accomplish."

His father's black eyes were now glittering with fury. "You think you're so smart," he spat. "But you'll realise that I spoke the truth. You'll be lying on the ground, writhing in pain and drowning in your own blood, and then you'll realise it. But then it will be too late."

"You can't impress me with your hazy predictions," Severus said. "You might want to try Thesdale; he's hungry for power and rather simpleminded as well."

"Do you remember the very first mistake you made?" the demon whispered. "Do you remember what you saw, and what you never told anyone about?"

"You know that I remember," he replied coldly.

"And I know that you still regret it. Remember _this_ moment, Severus," his father said in a low and dangerous voice. "It will be another one of those you'll regret for the rest of your pitiful existence."

Having said this, he disappeared.

"Fine," Severus muttered to himself. "So I'll have something to do for the rest of my pitiful existence."

He turned around, found the green glowing light gone and stepped back outside. It was still rather dark, but he could see the light of some burning torches coming from the end of the corridor. This wasn't his parent's house any longer; he was back at Hogwarts now, back in the lower dungeons. Now that he knew where he was, it wouldn't be difficult for him to find his way back out.

#-#

Once Severus had made it back to the Entrance Hall without any further incidents, he was quite convinced that the demon had lost interest in him once and for all. He definitely hoped so because he knew that another confrontation with that thing would most likely cost him his sanity.

The Entrance Hall lay quiet and peaceful, and the torches on the walls cast a warm light into the darkness. For a moment, he stood looking at the mighty wooden doors, unable to shake off the uncomfortable feeling of silence and loneliness that seemed to emanate from the empty castle; by now he understood very well what Lupin had meant back in the woods when he'd said that the place was giving him the creeps.

But unfortunately, he couldn't leave yet. Malfoy and Thesdale still had to be around somewhere, there wasn't really anywhere else they could have gone. Severus was sure that even if they'd noticed that not everything here was what it seemed to be, they probably wouldn't have risked trying to enter the castle.

So he'd have to go outside and search for them there. Well, anything was better than staying in here.

He heard someone clearing his throat, winced at the unexpected sound and whirled around. There was no one there, and it took him a second to realise that the sound had come from a large landscape painting on the wall to his left. Snape frowned and slowly stepped closer when he noticed a familiar person standing in the middle of the stormy and dark landscape.

"Lord Macius," he greeted the painted wizard. "I'm surprised to see you here, so far from your usual residence."

"I know where I belong, and I have my reasons for not leaving there too often," Lord Macius replied gruffly. Right now, as he fought his way across the painting with the storm ripping at his cloak and the rain drenching him, it was rather obvious why he usually preferred to stay in his study. "However, I thought that maybe I could be of assistance."

Severus arched an eyebrow at him, wondering how a painting could possibly be of any help here. "How long have you been up here already?" he asked then.

"Too long."

"Do you know if anyone else entered the castle?"

"There are shadows sneaking through the night. Yet in here, there's no other living soul in sight."

_It rhymes. But well, at least he's still making sense; I already expected they wouldn't dare to set foot in here without knowing for sure what they're dealing with._

"Thank you," Snape said quickly and turned to leave.

"Professor," the wizard in the painting called him back. "Should you be in need of a guide, or if there's anything else I can do, I'm at your service. I'm part of this world; Escharoth has no power over me and no interest in me."

"Escharoth – is that his name?"

"He goes by many names."

_Yes, I've heard that before._

"Is there anything else you know about him?" Severus asked.

"All I know is that he's been waiting for centuries to finally break out of the world he's been confined to for so long."

"I figured _that_ out already," Severus muttered and started walking over to the entrance doors.

"Waste no time." He heard Lord Macius calling after him as he opened the heavy wooden door. "Leave before the night is over or you might never leave again."

Severus contemplated only briefly whether he'd been talking about the night here or the night in the real world, whether the night herewould ever end and what time it might be back at the real Hogwarts; then he decided to do as Lord Macius had suggested and not to waste time thinking about things he couldn't influence anyway.

#-#

The first thing he noticed when he stepped outside was that it was cold; really cold. Obviously Escharoth, or whatever his name might be, was rather fond of cold weather. Well, it could have been worse. At least it wasn't raining.

Severus stood outside the entrance doors and let his eyes wander across the grounds, trying to figure out where to search for Malfoy.

Definitely not in the woods; it might make the best hiding place, but Lucius had never particularly liked it there. He might have left the castle grounds. But where would he go? Where _could_ he go, actually? How far did this world stretch?

_Well, Lucius isn't an idiot. Once he realised where he was, he definitely left the grounds and tried to disapparate, which of course didn't work. Clever as he is, he most likely figured out pretty quickly that he's still caught in this illusion._

_But then what? He knows that Potter came through a painting located inside Hogwarts, so it should seem quite reasonable to him to search for the way out inside the castle as well. But he couldn't know for sure that Dumbledore wasn't there, so if he'd try to get in, he'd try to remain unnoticed._

Severus looked down the path leading away from the entrance doors and into the darkness.

"Come on, Lucius," he whispered to himself. "Where did you go..."

_How would I do it if I'd try to get into the castle without anyone noticing? Well, I wouldn't try it, because I know that it's impossible._

Slowly, he started walking down the path, the sound of the gravel under his boots much louder than it should have been. After only a few steps he came to a halt again.

"Lucius!" he called out into the night. He waited for a moment, but he got no reply. "Malfoy! Thesdale! Anyone?"

Silence.

"Maybe the werewolf was right," he said to himself. "Maybe it _is_ a stupid idea, and I should just leave."

But he wasn't the kind to turn his back and run; even if he called it a tactical withdrawal, it wouldn't really make a difference, it would still be nothing but running away. He buttoned his coat, put up his collar and started walking again.

"And maybe I should stop talking to myself. Mentally sane people don't do that."

* * *

_Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Many thanks to everyone who reviewed, I'm glad you liked it! Sorry for the long wait; it's great to see that so many of you are still reading this, thanks for being so patient with me :)_

_It will be two more chapters after this one and I've almost finished writing the next one, so it won't take me so long to update._


	21. Home At Last

Home At Last

He'd made it almost halfway down to the gates when he changed his mind, stopped and turned back around.

Now he knew where Malfoy had to be. Severus couldn't understand why he hadn't thought of it sooner; Lucius had been using the secret passage from the dungeons to the gardens regularly throughout his time as a student, so if he was trying to get inside the castle, that's the way he'd take. Of course, he'd been away for too long to know that the passage had become impassable years ago. Then again, if _he_ didn't know it, the demon might not know it either and things might not be what they were supposed to be.

He walked back up to the school and around the towers on the right towards the gardens that lay behind the castle. The sky was still overcast with clouds, but the cold moonlight that shone through was enough for him to see perfectly well. He let his eyes wander across the black silhouettes of various arrangements of small trees, bushes and stone statues that were intersected by narrow paths covered with white gravel stones. In the distance, he spotted a shadow as it moved swiftly across the path and then disappeared behind the spread wings of a stone gargoyle.

The sculpture that guarded the entrance to the passageway was much further to the left and not anywhere near that gargoyle, which meant that either Lucius had already found out that it was blocked or that he had a problem with his memory.

Or maybe it meant that the shadow hadn't even been Malfoy. He'd expected to find him out here; but how could he now know that it was really him? It could just as well be another one of Escharoth's little tricks.

But Lord Macius had told him that Malfoy and Thesdale were out here. Even though he couldn't deny that he might appear a bit eccentric and out of touch at times, Severus was convinced that this time the painted wizard knew what he was talking about. And Severus still had his instincts to rely on; whenever the demon had been near, he'd felt its presence. Only once had it been able to fool him, and that had been his own fault – he just hadn't been vigilant enough. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.

Severus was rather sure that his presence had already been noticed as he started walking down the narrow path, and he was soon to be proven right.

He'd just walked up to the stone gargoyle when suddenly a hand reached out from the shadows to his left. It grabbed him by his collar and dragged him off the gravel path just to smash him backwards into a block of white marble on which the gargoyle sculpture was standing.

Severus raised his hands a little in an attempt to conciliate a rather enraged Lucius Malfoy who was glaring at him and holding him by his collar so firmly that he had good chances of accidentally choking him.

"Damn it, Lucius, let go of me," he hissed. He felt nothing; whenever he'd been near the demon, he'd felt its presence. And the closer he'd gotten to it, the more intense the feeling had been – coldness, fear and anxiety. Now there was nothing at all. It wasn't here. Standing right in front of him was no product of his imagination, but a very real and very furious Lucius Malfoy. And for a moment, Severus wasn't entirely sure whether that was really a good thing.

"What's going on here?" Lucius roared while tightening his grip on him even more. "Where's the kid and what are you doing here?"

"If you'd refrain from choking me, I could tell you," Severus replied angrily. Glancing past him he now saw Thesdale standing in the shadows, watching them.

Malfoy considered his options for a moment before he shot him a final glare out of narrowed eyes and let go of him.

"So?" Lucius asked. "Where's the boy?"

"Gone," Severus replied.

"Gone?" Malfoy asked angrily. "What do you mean, _gone_?"

"I mean he's back at Hogwarts," Severus replied calmly.

Malfoy's eyes were ablaze with fury and his teeth were bared, making him look like a hungry wolf ready to strike.

"Are you saying that you let him get away?" he asked, as he stepped towards him and pushed him backwards with both hands. "Again?"

"I've had enough problems of my own to deal with."

Rather unexpected and suddenly Lucius jumped at him, threw him to the ground and pinned him down to stare straight into his eyes, their faces only a few inches apart. "I'm not an idiot," he hissed. "I know you. There's no way he could've escaped you – unless you _wanted_ him to."

"What?" Severus asked. "Are you actually accusing me of deliberately working against you? Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Everything went perfectly well, until _you_ showed up."

"You do realise that you're not making sense, don't you?" He knew that while lying on the ground with Malfoy pinning him down he wasn't in a very good position to get his point across and decided to change that. "Now get off me," he said and pushed Lucius away from him.

Malfoy reluctantly complied and stood up, releasing him. "What are you doing, Severus?" he asked in a quiet, yet threatening voice. "Did you let him get away? Have you decided that you'd rather play on Dumbledore's side? Play it safe?"

"How long have you known me?" Severus asked. "If that was true, I'd just have followed the kid out of here instead of staying to search for you. And anyway, I wouldn't regard Dumbledore's side as the safe one. Would _you_?"

For a few seconds, Malfoy just stood there and looked at him, then he smiled. "Yes," he said softly. "You're right."

Severus was well aware that he hadn't changed his mind so quickly; Lucius was still suspicious of him, but he'd also realised that right now he didn't really have a choice.

"How do we get out of here then?" Malfoy asked after a moment's silence.

"We have to get inside the castle," he replied. "We might run into a few problems, though."

"What sort of problems?"

"There's something here. It's a kind of a demon, and it would prefer to keep us here," Snape explained. "It will probably make it difficult for us to find our way out."

"A demon?" Lucius asked. "How come I haven't seen anything?"

_No emotions, no fears and no regrets. I suppose that's why. And you've never been alone around here either. _"It seems to have been concentrating on the boy, but now that he's gone, it will find itself a new victim. We shouldn't waste time."

#-#

They walked around the school and back to the entrance doors in silence, Malfoy next to Snape, Thesdale following them at a few steps distance, right where he belonged.

Just as Severus was about to open the large wooden doors, Malfoy held him back. He took him by his arm, made him turn towards him and looked straight into his eyes.

Severus knew that he wasn't going to find what he was searching for; he was a well-trained liar, and nobody could tell when he was lying from just looking at him. With one or two exceptions maybe, and none of them being Lucius Malfoy.

"You wouldn't lie to me, would you?" he whispered.

"Have I ever?"

"You know the consequences," Lucius said. "You'd pay for it. You wouldn't simply be killed; you'd suffer for it. Nobody betrays me."

"If you don't trust me – leave. It's your decision and I won't hold you back. And if you really believe that I'd put my own life at stake for that damn bastard James Potter's son..." Severus shook his head at him and lowered his voice again. "Lucius – we've known each other all our lives. These aren't really _your_ thoughts. It's the demon; it's inside your head, trying to influence you and to set us against each other."

Malfoy nodded slowly. "I know what you mean," he said softly. "I can sense it."

_Suddenly so sensitive; who'd have expected that._

Severus opened the doors and stepped into the Entrance Hall. Looking around, he saw Lord Macius still standing in the painting of the stormy landscape, watching them without moving or making a sound.

"We'll have to find the painting now," Severus said. "I'd suggest we split up to search for it. What we're looking for is a painting of a landscape with a forest and a small house."

"And you have no idea where it is?" Malfoy asked.

"Well, no," Severus replied. "It's the demon. It keeps moving things around in order to make it more difficult for us to leave this place," he said quickly and turned to Thesdale. "I'd suggest you search the upper floors while we're having a look around here and down in the dungeons."

Thesdale hesitated for a moment but then nodded and set off towards the stairs without asking any questions. Severus watched him until he'd reached the top of the staircase and disappeared around the corner; implicit obedience truly had its benefits.

He'd thrown out the bait, now he'd just have to wait for Escharoth to take it. Thesdale was weak; it wouldn't take long.

Without saying anything, Snape walked across the hall towards the door leading to the dungeons and motioned Malfoy to follow.

"The painting is down in the lower dungeons," Severus said as soon as the door had fallen closed behind them.

Malfoy gave him a questioning look in return.

"I needed to get rid of Thesdale," Severus explained. "The demon will try to keep us away from the painting. But since it seems to prefer attacking a single person, I hope that it will concentrate on him instead of us and not be in our way."

"Well done," Malfoy said. "Lead the way."

Severus nodded and started walking down the stairs. "The demon can read your thoughts," he said while leading the way down and through the dungeons. "Therefore it would be best if you tried to think of nothing at all, especially nothing that it could consider as interesting."

"And what would it find interesting?"

"I can't really tell. Just try to concentrate on something harmless to keep your thoughts from drifting off."

Severus moved quickly along the dark corridors, Malfoy following him closely. The entrance to the lower dungeons was open when they reached it, probably because Lord Macius was still somewhere upstairs.

All the time he kept glancing around and listening into the silence, searching for any sign that the demon might not have given up on him yet. There was nothing. It was just dark and silent. But he could still feel its presence. It was just like he could often sense it when someone was staring at him without actually seeing it. But it was also no different from the feeling that he was being followed when he walked along a dark and empty corridor; a feeling that grew stronger and stronger, urging him to turn around, and when he finally did, there was nothing there but the empty corridor.

Once again he came to the conclusion that feelings weren't something you could rely on.

#-#

The door to the storage room was still open when they reached it. Following a nod from his companion, Snape walked into the room first.

"This is it?" Malfoy asked as he stood in front of the painting.

Severus stepped inside the rune circle, picked up the book from the floor and opened it. "This is the incantation," he said. "You read it, hand me the book and then you go through the painting."

The moment he'd said that, a feeling of doubt suddenly overcame him. What if Malfoy wouldn't give him the book? Lucius could just take it with him, and he'd be stuck here forever. Severus didn't trust him, not at all. But Lucius didn't really have a reason to do something like that, at least Severus wasn't aware of anything that could make him want to get rid of him.

"I think I'd rather have you go first," Malfoy said softly.

_It seems your distrust of me just solved the problem._

"Fine, I'll go first," Severus replied. Standing in the middle of the rune circle, he cast a quick glance at the painting and then held the book up in front of him to read the incantation.

"Wait," Malfoy said suddenly.

"What?" Severus said impatiently and looked up from the book again.

"Where does it lead?" he asked.

"Back to Hogwarts," Severus replied. "It says so in the book."

"But where exactly? I'd rather search for another way out than risk ending up _inside_ the castle."

_How I hoped you wouldn't ask. _"There _is_ no other way. I've been here a couple of hours longer than you and I've been confronted by the demon more than once; I know what I'm talking about." He was beginning to get nervous, and Malfoy's indecision wasn't the only reason for that.

"Well, of course, _you_ wouldn't mind finding yourself standing in front of your old headmaster."

"Oh, no, of course not. I'm sure he wouldn't question my motives for bringing _you_ along," Severus replied. "As you well know, the castle is magically shielded. There's absolutely no way you could get in uninvited, no matter what kind of magic you use. The painting will lead us back to the castle grounds, just like the last painting that brought us here."

Malfoy hesitated.

"Lucius, we're wasting time." The slight hint of anxiety in his voice wasn't a lie; it was very real. "There's no way out but this. And as long as the book is here, no one else can get in either. We're on our own." _At least I hope so. _"Unless the Dark Lord's able to send someone after you to get you out of here."

"No, he can't," Malfoy said in a low voice. "The spell was linked to the boy. Now that he's gone..."

_Good._

"We have no choice, and we have no time," Snape said again, glancing nervously around the room.

The demon was here again; it was watching him, coming closer. Severus knew it; he could feel its presence so strongly now as if it was standing right next to him. But standing next to him was only Malfoy who seemed to be immune to Escharoth's attacks and almost entirely unaware of the demon's presence.

_Yes, Severus. I'm here._

The voice was no more than a whisper, but he could hear it as clearly as if the demon was whispering right into his ear.

"What is it?" Malfoy asked, frowning at him.

"You didn't hear it?"

"Hear _what_?"

"It's coming closer," Severus said softly. "Come here. Step inside the circle, it's the only safe place."

Lucius rolled his eyes at him, but before he got a chance to say anything, he had to realise that his companion was right; all of a sudden a tall figure was standing in the middle of the room. He was wearing a long wide cloak with a hood that was completely hiding his face.

Severus had no idea what the demon was trying to impersonate now. It might have been an image from Thesdale's memory or maybe from Malfoy's – he didn't really care. In a few minutes, he'd be gone anyway and would never have to bother about that thing again.

For a split second, Severus considered abandoning Malfoy to his fate, but then he reached out, grabbed him by his arm and quickly pulled him inside the circle. He hadn't done it because the idea of Malfoy spending the rest of his life haunted by his own demons evoked any feeling of pity in him; he had more selfish reasons. Revenge, most of all. He wanted to see Lucius behind bars till the end of his days.

It was completely silent around them as they all stood there motionless and staring at one another.

"Who's that?" Malfoy whispered.

"Escharoth," Severus replied softly. "The demon."

"So now you know my name," the cloaked figure said. Its voice was a hoarse whisper and every intake of breath caused a strange rattling sound; Severus had to admit that that thing was definitely rather creepy. It looked like something between a Dementor and the Dark Lord himself.

"It makes no difference now," Severus said calmly. "I'm out of your reach. I'll leave this world and you will stay."

The cloaked man raised his arms, and it went totally dark. Only a moment later everything around them suddenly burst into flames. The room they'd been in was gone. Everything outside the rune circle had disappeared and an ocean of flames surrounded them. In the midst of the fire stood the cloaked figure, arms still raised, the flames dancing around him.

"Go ahead," Malfoy whispered to Snape. "What are you waiting for!"

Severus didn't intend to stay a second longer either. He opened the book again and began to read. The heat and the brightness of the flames stung in his eyes and made the words in the book look blurry. As soon as he'd finished reading the incantation, he handed the book to Malfoy and reached out his hand to touch the surface of the painting.

"I'm lettingyou leave now, but I'll always be there. And one day, we shall meet again. You can't understand now, but you will," the demon said in his hoarse whispering voice. "All in good time, Severus, all in good time."

Before Severus got a chance to say anything in return, he felt himself being drawn into the painting. The heat and light of the flames became weaker as the demon's world slowly faded away. Everything started spinning around him and then there was nothing but darkness.

#-#

The moment he felt the floor under his feet, there was a flash of blinding red light. Something hit him in the chest; he was blown off his feet and thrown backwards against something solid. Then it went dark around him once again.

#-#

The first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes again was that he had a very bad headache. He blinked a few times and saw Dumbledore, McGonagall, Dobberstein and Lupin standing there, wands drawn and looking down at him and an apparently unconscious Lucius Malfoy who was lying on the floor next to him.

"Thank you," Severus growled at whoever might have cast the spell at him and slowly stood up again.

"I'm so sorry," Eliza Dobberstein said quickly. "It really wasn't my intention. Are you all right?"

_Yes, I'm sure it wasn't... _"Don't worry, that can happen," Severus muttered and glanced down at the still unconscious Malfoy. "I mean, we look almost like brothers, Lucius and me, don't we?"

"Where's Thesdale?" Lupin asked.

"He's the bait," Severus replied. "I don't expect him to return. Especially not without the book," he added and picked it up from where it had been lying on the floor a few feet away. He took a final look at it and then handed it to Dumbledore. "I suppose _you_ should take that."

"What's going to happen to _him_ now?" McGonagall asked with a glance at Malfoy.

"I'll modify his memory so he won't be able to remember anything that happened in the past twenty-four hours," Dumbledore said. "Then we'll hand him over to the proper authorities."

"You don't need me for that, do you?" Severus asked.

"No," Dumbledore replied with a warm smile. "Go to bed."

Severus nodded and turned to Harry who'd been standing some steps behind Lupin all the time. "Potter – you won't mention _any_thingabout what happened tonight to _any_one, understood? I don't want to risk Malfoy or anyone else realising that I was involved in this."

"Yes, Harry," Dumbledore added. "It's very important, I'm sure you understand that, don't you?"

"Yes, sir," Harry replied slowly.

"Good night," Severus muttered quickly, then he turned away and walked past Lupin out of the room.

He'd have liked to tell Potter just how many hours of detention he'd make him serve each week until the end of his time as a student here, but right now he was really too tired to decide about that. He could still do it tomorrow. And it was going to be a lot of hours; enough so Severus wouldn't have to waste another minute of his own time with sorting potion ingredients and labelling jars.

He heard quick footsteps behind him and turned around to see McGonagall following him. She hadn't even said a word to him back in the storeroom, so he'd had his doubts as to whether she'd actually noticed that he'd returned or not; and even if she had, she definitely hadn't given him the impression that she cared much about it. Nonetheless, Severus stopped walking and waited until she'd caught up with him.

Standing in front of him, McGonagall gave him a scrutinizing look. "Are you all right?" she asked in a concerned voice and started dusting off the sleeve of his coat with her hand.

"I'm fine," he muttered. "Been wrestling with Malfoy a little..."

McGonagall frowned at him. "What on earth have you been doing there, inside that painting?"

Severus sighed deeply. "I'll tell you some other time. I'm really tired right now."

"Yes, of course. You should go to bed now," she said. "Would you like me to arrange for someone to fill in for you tomorrow? As far as I know you have classes in the morning."

"No, I'll be fine. What time is it anyway?"

"Almost half past four."

"Good. That means at least two hours of sleep."

"Let me know if you should change your mind."

Severus heard Dumbledore and the others approaching. "I will. Good night," he said quickly, wanting to get away before anyone else could get a chance to talk to him.

"I'm glad you're back," McGonagall said and smiled at him. "Good night."

Severus nodded at her and started walking towards the stairs leading up to the dungeons. He still had a bad headache. He couldn't tell whether it was caused by lack of sleep or simply by his head hitting the wall after Dobberstein had knocked him out so cunningly. But whatever its cause, he was sure that he had a potion in his office that would take care of it.

Walking along the corridors of his dungeons now, he immediately noticed how different it was compared to what it had been like in the demon's world. It was neither as dark nor as cold, and it didn't give him that intense feeling of loneliness.

#-#

As he searched through the cupboard in his office, he came across a small vial of Dreamless Sleep Potion and decided to take it along; he'd spent the last couple of hours with his nightmares already, it had truly been enough for one night.

He put the two vials into his pocket and looked around his office. It was dark and silent, but there was nothing scary or eerie about it. Aside from a particularly ugly dead lizard maybe that seemed to be staring at him from its jar up on the shelf. Severus looked back at it for a while, then he left his office.

#-#

When he woke up the next morning, he felt as if he hadn't slept at all. The headache came back the moment he opened his eyes and he was beginning to regret his decision to not let someone else take his first class this morning.

Instead of going down to the Great Hall for breakfast he allowed himself a few more minutes of sleep, but that didn't really help either, so he spent his third year double Potions in a state that was closer to sleeping than being awake.

He hadn't said much to his students and doubted that he'd made much sense when he had. But fortunately in his class no one would dare to complain about that. Actually, he was convinced that even if he'd fallen asleep at his desk, his students would have finished their work and wouldn't have left their seats before the end of the lesson. Yes, sometimes it wasn't the worst thing to be the school's most feared teacher.

He wasn't looking forward to the next two hours, which he'd have to spend with Potter and the rest of his NEWT class. They'd have to prepare quite a few more ingredients for their Ranunculus Potion, so it was going to be a rather boring class; especially for him.

He still had a few minutes time so he decided to go up to the staff room to get himself a cup of coffee. And he could also fetch the essays of his second year students that he still had to grade, at least then he'd have something useful to do to keep himself awake.

When he opened the door to the staff room he first spotted McGonagall; he didn't mind her, she usually wasn't too annoying. But unfortunately, sitting right next to her, was Dobberstein.

Severus knew that it would look rather strange if he just left again, and he didn't want to give up on his coffee anyway; not because of _her_.

He muttered a quick "Good morning" and strode across the room towards the coffee table. He took his mug from the shelf behind the table and discovered a moment later that there was no more coffee left.

"There's never any coffee here," he muttered to himself, momentarily oblivious of anyone else's presence. "Is there ever any coffee here? Is there a time of day when you actually _can_ get some coffee here?"

"Two minutes ago would have been exactly the right time," McGonagall said. "It seems I was just a little bit faster than you."

Severus snorted, put his mug back in its place and walked over to the other shelf to get the essays he'd left there last week.

"You can have mine, if you want to. You sure look like you need it."

"No, thank you, I'm fine," Severus muttered.

"It might help against the grumpiness," McGonagall said as she continued reading her copy of the Daily Prophet.

"I'm _not_ grumpy."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm _not_."

McGonagall lowered the newspaper to look over at the clock. "I don't think you have time to continue arguing about that." She held out her cup to him. "So? Do you want it?"

Severus hesitated. Coffee was good. Coffee would assist him in his attempts to keep his eyes open during the next two hours. It wasn't as effective as some of his potions might have been, but unfortunately, he couldn't use one of those anyway; they didn't mix very well with the Dreamless Sleep Potion he'd taken just a couple of hours ago.

"Yes," he said eventually and took the cup from her. "Thank you."

He took a sip of coffee and found it much too bitter. "No sugar."

"I never take sugar, you know that."

"Yes, I do," he muttered, added some sugar, picked up his stack of essays and turned to leave.

"What are you up to tonight?" McGonagall asked without looking up from her newspaper just as he was about to leave the room.

"I'll probably go to bed early."

"In case you should change your mind, you can always come by for a game of chess. We haven't played in ages."

"I'll think about it," he said and then left for his classroom.

He wouldn't need to think about it; he already knew that he didn't want to. Not because he didn't like playing chess, but because he knew that this wasn't about playing chess at all. Minerva would want to know about what had happened last night, and at the moment, he really didn't feel like discussing that.

#-#

His whole NEWT class was already waiting for him by the time he reached the classroom. Without a word he crossed the room, put the essays on his desk, placed his cup of coffee right next to them and turned around to face his students. Potter was missing.

"Today you will continue your preparations for the Ranunculus Potion," he started. "You're going to begin with cleaning and peeling some foxglove roots. Each of you will need three to four of them. Step forward and take some roots from this jar, then open your Bofielder Dictionary to page seven hundred and twenty-three for detailed instructions on how to prepare them. When you're done, look up the chapter about foxglove roots in your Advanced Potions text and read it." _And that will keep you busy for at least thirty minutes._

Snape sat down at his desk and waited for everyone to get their foxgloves roots and start working. He didn't pay much attention to them and just kept staring at Potter's empty seat. Where could he possibly be? Taking the day off to make up for a night with almost no sleep most likely. He'd make him serve detention for that. Definitely.

A few minutes later, just as he'd finished his coffee and was about to start reading the first essay, there was a faint knock on the door, it opened and Potter stepped inside.

"Ah, Mr. Potter," Severus said before Harry had a chance to say much. "Wouldn't you like to entertain your fellow students with an undoubtedly very creative explanation for your being late?"

"No, sir," Harry muttered.

"Then would you be so kind as to at least enlighten _me_?"

"I'm sorry I'm late. I didn't sleep well last night and overslept."

"Very well," Severus said and lowered his eyes to the essay again. "Detention, tomorrow after dinner, here. Miss Granger will repeat to you the instructions I've given so far."

"Yes, sir," Harry said in a low voice and walked over to his desk.

With some satisfaction, Snape noticed that Potter really didn't look too good; throughout the next two hours he seemed to constantly be fighting the urge to yawn, kept rubbing his eyes and looked as if he was going to fall off his chair any second. Unfortunately though, he never did.

Severus would have liked to make him serve his detention tonight instead of tomorrow because it would have been much more fun to watch him doing his work while he was so longing for some sleep.

But he was quite sure that he wouldn't have time for that tonight. The Dark Lord already had to know that Potter was back at Hogwarts and that Malfoy was back in prison, so he'd start wondering what went wrong with their little plan. And who would he ask if not him?

#-#

He was summoned in the late afternoon, a little earlier than he'd have expected. Usually the Dark Lord would wait till night, so obviously, he was really curious to learn more about what had gone wrong there.

As was to be expected, his master wasn't in the best of moods.

Nonetheless, Severus wasn't very concerned. The only person who knew about his involvement and who might have been able to make him look suspicious was Thesdale, and he wasn't going to tell anyone about anything for a long, long time; maybe forever. So Severus just claimed that he'd had no idea about what had been going on and hadn't heard about anything until a few hours ago. Luckily enough, his master actually believed him and decided to hold Malfoy responsible for their failure.

Snape was rather pleased with himself and with how things had worked out. It was the first time that Malfoy had no chance to put the blame on someone else, as he so often had before. Severus was convinced that once again he'd have been the one to pay; it was about time for Lucius to learn what it was like having to bear the Dark Lord's wrath. He had no illusions about Malfoy remaining locked up for very long; things were different now, without the Dementors. He'd be back soon. And the Dark Lord didn't forget your mistakes.

#-#

#-#

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I greatly appreciate it and I'm happy that you enjoyed the previous chapter. I hope you liked this one, too.

I've been thinking about writing a sequel, but while I actually have some ideas for it, I don't really think that it's going to happen.

There's one more chapter to come, so everyone who always wanted to leave a review – take your chance! Thank you for reading :)


	22. In The End

In The End

For almost two weeks Severus had managed rather well to dodge McGonagall and her attempts to question him about his little trip into the painting, and he really expected her to give it up soon. He couldn't understand what she wanted from him anyway; there just was nothing to talk about. Nothing of interest and nothing he _wanted_ to talk about.

Although he couldn't deny that he himself had spent a lot of time thinking about that night, even though he hadn't wanted to. He'd intended to tick it off as just another encounter with magic of the more unpleasant kind, but now it just wouldn't leave him alone.

His old nightmares had returned and had taken him back to his parent's house every single night and even during his waking hours, there was always something that made his thoughts wander off again, back to that night.

It felt almost as if Escharoth had gotten what he wanted after all; as if he'd brought the demon back with him. Just like he'd said – he'd always be there.

#-#

Tuesday evening after dinner Severus sat alone at his desk in his office and tossed dried snowberries across the room and into the cauldron in the corner. At least he tried to, but up to now only about one third of them had hit the mark and the majority were scattered somewhere on the floor. He reached into the jar on his desk, took out another one, tossed it across the room and with a pling it landed right inside the cauldron.

_Twenty-four._

To anyone watching, it would have appeared as if he was deeply lost in thought, but as a matter of fact, he wasn't. Actually what he concentrated on was keeping the memories away and thinking about nothing at all. It seemed to be a lot more difficult now that he was not fighting that demon anymore; now that he himself was his only enemy.

The next snowberry hit the floor, and he took out another one.

He couldn't help his thoughts wandering off again. Back to what the demon had showed him, what it had told him. He was well aware that it hadn't showed him anything new. It had simply forced him to confront things he'd kept buried deep inside of him and hidden from everyone, even himself, for a very long time. And well hidden was where he'd wanted to keep it all.

Another one hit the floor.

That's why it had chosen him. Because it had seen those ghosts he didn't want to face.

There was a knock on the door and the next snowberry landed inside the cauldron.

_Twenty-five._

He didn't say anything in reply to the knock; the door was half open, so whoever it was was just knocking out of pure courtesy anyway.

The door opened a little further.

"Severus? Can I come in?" McGonagall asked, stepping into the room.

_You are in already._

A berry hit the side of the cauldron, fell to the floor and he took another one from the jar. He didn't even look up at his visitor.

"The door was open," McGonagall said.

The next one hit the floor.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

_Isn't that obvious?_

This one hit its mark._ Twenty-six._ P_erfect throw._

"Ah, yes, I see," McGonagall said. "Throwing potion ingredients across the room."

Another hit. _Twenty-seven. I'm getting better at this._

"Are you very busy with that or do you think we could talk?"

_Busy._

"I'm a little worried about your behaviour," McGonagall continued. "You've become unusually quiet ever since you got back. You've almost completely stopped giving out detentions, taking points and insulting people."

_It appears I've become a lot less annoying. You should be pleased._

"Severus? I'm talking to you."

Another hit.

_Twenty-seven. I could become a professional._

"If you won't even as much as look at me, I'll just leave again."

For a few seconds she stood there and waited, but Severus just kept staring at the cauldron on the other side of the room. McGonagall turned away and walked back to the door.

"In case you should change your mind, you know where to find me," she said before she closed the door behind her.

Part of him was glad that she'd left, part of him regretted his reaction. It had been rather rude, no doubt. But he'd known what she wanted from him the moment she'd shown up at the door, and he just didn't want to talk to her. Not now and not about this.

Nonetheless, he probably could have been a bit nicer. After all, she might actually be worried about him. What else would have made her come down here? She'd have had a reason if he'd done something she didn't agree with, but she couldn't very well complain about him doing _nothing_.

And _nothing_ was pretty much all he'd done for the last two weeks. He'd mostly kept to himself and had nearly completely given up prowling the corridors at night, so he hadn't really gotten a lot of chances to take points from students or to argue with someone. And he hadn't given out a lot of detentions either, probably because he hadn't paid enough attention during his classes to notice any misbehaviour that would have justified it. He hadn't even punished Potter for his idiotic behaviour and the evening he'd made him serve detention for being late in class he'd sent him off to help Filch, just because he hadn't wanted to put up with that boy.

Minerva had always been complaining about his behaviour, so why was she complaining now that he did more or less the opposite?

During the last weeks she'd asked him several times if there was something wrong or if there was something he wanted to talk about. She might have come down here just because she was concerned about him. He should have been nicer. Maybe he should apologize to her.

"Idiot," he whispered to himself.

Yes, he'd have to apologize to her. Tomorrow.

#-#

The next day he waited until after dinner before he went up to McGonagall's office. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be the only one who wanted to see her; waiting in front of the door were a fifth year Gryffindor and a first year Ravenclaw, eyeing him curiously as he leaned against the wall next to the door, folded his arms over his chest and waited.

A few minutes later the office door opened and another Gryffindor boy stepped outside. The Gryffindor waiting on the corridor was about to enter the office but then hesitated and insecurely glanced up at his Potions Professor.

Severus nodded at him to go in first; McGonagall had to know that he was standing there, she'd surely seen him in that crystal ball of hers she always used to see how many more students were waiting outside. She obviously wanted him to wait, so he'd wait.

As he was standing there and staring at the floor in complete boredom, two more students walked up to the office door, lingered there for a moment and then turned away and left again, apparently having changed their mind. He heard more footsteps but didn't look up until the person stopped walking to stand in front of him.

It was Lupin, frowning at him.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"Minding my business, why don't you?" Severus snarled.

Lupin raised his hands in an apologetic gesture and continued on his way.

Severus had barely seen him for the last two weeks, and he couldn't remember having spoken to him once since that night. And he'd have liked to keep it that way.

He didn't even notice the first year student entering the office and just remained standing there and staring at the floor when the door to his right opened again. While he noticed a student walking past him along the corridor, he didn't bother to look up and see who it actually was.

"Well, it seems you're next."

Upon hearing McGonagall's voice, he finally looked up.

"I'm sorry I had to keep you waiting for so long, but it really wasn't the smartest idea to show up exactly in time for my office hours, was it?"

"Probably not," Snape replied. It definitely hadn't been his intention, but that was just the sort of thing that happened when you spent a whole Wednesday being convinced it was Thursday. "Nonetheless, you should be thankful. My sheer presence here seems to have scared away half of the students who came to see you."

"Then I suppose I should consider paying you for hanging about in front of my office on Wednesday evenings," McGonagall replied. "Come on in now."

He hesitated for a moment before he left his place on the corridor to follow her inside her office.

"So what can I do for you?" McGonagall sat down at her desk and motioned him to take a seat as well, but for now he'd rather remain standing.

"Well...," Severus muttered and glanced around the room, looking anywhere but at her. "I wanted to apologize. For my behaviour yesterday."

"Oh, never mindthat. It wasn't so bad. Why don't you sit down now? You're making me nervous by standing around there like that."

"Actually, I already said what I came up here for, so-"

"I don't think you have. So please, sit down."

Slowly he walked over to the chair opposite from her desk and sat down, giving her a questioning look; he'd already said all he'd had to say, so it was her turn now.

"There's something bothering you," McGonagall said.

"If you say so."

"Don't be like that. I know you've got something on your mind."

They sat in silence for a while, waiting for each other to give in.

"I've been thinking quite a lot lately," Severus said eventually. "About that night, when we went into the painting."

McGonagall said nothing and waited for him to continue, but he didn't.

"Remus told me that you saw your father there," she said after a while.

"Did he," Severus muttered. "So what else did he tell you?"

"Nothing. I hoped _you_ would."

A heavy silence settled over them until he spoke again.

"What do you want to hear?"

"Whatever you want to tell me."

Severus hesitated for a moment. "He killed my cat," he said then. "He didn't want to have a cat in the house. Or maybe he just didn't want _me_ to have one."

He stood up from his chair and walked past her desk over to the window. Hogwarts' grounds lay dark and quiet under a clear night sky that made the landscape look almost like a painting. Almost.

"He's been dead for so long now, but sometimes it seems as if he's still here, standing right behind me and watching me. Like a shadow, following me wherever I go."

"He's still your father. You can't change that."

Severus took his eyes off the nightly landscape before him and looked down at the little tree with the silvery branches that was standing on the window sill.

He held his hand above the tree and the leaves started shaking and jingling softly. The closer he moved his hand, the more the leaves were shaking. Carefully, he touched one of the branches with his fingertips and felt a strange warmth running through his hand.

"Do you think I'm a lot like him?" he asked eventually.

"I honestly couldn't tell you that. You know I didn't know him."

"But you've met him."

"Once. And we didn't talk for very long either; he wanted to speak to the Headmaster rather than to waste his time discussing anything with the Deputy Headmistress."

_More likely didn't want to waste his time talking with a woman. _"Well?"

"Severus..." She paused to contemplate her reply. "You're only asking me because you want me to say that you're not like him at all. But I can't judge that. It's something you have to find out all by yourself."

_That's really not very helpful. _He took his eyes off the little tree and looked at the window again, concentrating on his ghostlike reflection in the glass.

"I look just like him," he said softly, looking back at his own black eyes in the window. Ever since he could remember, people had said that he looked so much like his father. Mostly because of these eyes, probably. "The same eyes."

He paused for a moment, hoping that McGonagall might say something now so he wouldn't have to, but as was to be expected, she didn't. She could be annoyingly patient at times.

"I wasted so many years trying to prove to him that I'm not what he thought I was. That I'm not a failure and that I'm not a complete moron. I really thought I'd gotten over that by now, but as soon as I was face to face with him again..." He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to wipe away the image of his father that kept resurfacing whenever he looked at his own reflection. "I don't even know why I ever cared what he thought of me."

"All children care what their parents think of them."

"Probably," Severus muttered.

"You're trying to prove yourself to others. But it doesn't matter what they think. In the end, the only thing that counts is what _you_ think."

Severus shrugged his shoulders. He'd said more than he'd wanted to already; enough talking for one evening.

McGonagall got up from her chair and walked over to where he was standing. For a while, she stood by his side, looking out of the window down at Hogwarts' grounds.

"I know it won't mean as much to you," she said eventually, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "But I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you," he said softly. "It means a lot to me."

"And you don't have the same eyes. Whoever said that can't have looked very closely."

Severus smiled weakly.

"So what about that game of chess?" McGonagall asked. "You've been avoiding me for two weeks already. Afraid of losing yet again?"

"The last time we played, I won."

"Oh no, you didn't. As a matter of fact, _I_ won the last _two_ games we played. And I'd love to turn that into three wins in a row."

"How about right now?" Severus asked. He hadn't planned on staying longer than a few minutes, but now his ambition had gotten the better of him.

"I have no objections. But Miss Granger is going to show up here in about forty minutes to discuss her Transfigurations project with me."

"Let's make it a quick game then. I'll need no more than half an hour to checkmate you."

"We'll see about that." McGonagall walked across the room, took the chessboard and a wooden box out of the small cupboard and placed both on the table in front of the fireplace. Severus sat down in the armchair next to the table, opened the box and began placing the pieces on the old Muggle chessboard.

They made their first few moves in silence and after a couple of minutes he was convinced that he was going to win this game.

"You haven't made Potter serve detention for it, have you?" Severus asked after a while.

"Neither have you."

"I'm not his Head of House."

"That never stopped you."

"I'll leave it to you this time," he said and moved his black bishop in front of one of the white pawns.

He wouldn't interfere, even if she wasn't going to do anything at all. So many times she'd told him to keep out of things that were none of his business; maybe she was right.

"Does the name _Escharoth_ mean anything to you?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

McGonagall kept her eyes on the chessboard, thinking. After a while, she made her move and looked up at him. "It does indeed," she replied. "He's one of the Three Ancients."

"The Three Ancients? Am I supposed to know what that means?"

McGonagall smiled at him. "You're probably too young. It's just an old tale my grandmother used to tell me when I was a child. Escharoth is the Master of the Mind, one of three evil spirits. The legend says that they were all banned from this world by a couple of wizards over a thousand years ago. Are you going to make your move now?"

"It might be more than just a legend," Severus said in a low voice and moved his knight across the chessboard. "The demon's name was Escharoth."

"It's just a fairy tale. Maybe you yourself provided the demon with this name. You might have heard it before and just didn't remember."

"Yes, maybe." _The demon didn't tell me its name, though. Lord Macius did. _He made his move and for the next few minutes they played on in silence, the only sound the crackling of the fire.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," McGonagall said as Severus reached out for the black knight.

He hesitated, his eyes fixed on the chessboard and wandering from one piece to the next, playing through the possible moves in his mind. "Why not?" he asked after a few seconds.

"Because I might lose if you do that."

He smiled and made his move. There was a knock on the door, and they both looked up.

"Come in!" McGonagall called.

The door opened a little and Hermione Granger peered into the room. "Good evening, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape," she said with a smile and turned to her Head of House. "Sorry for interrupting. I'm here because of my Transfigurations Project?"

"Yes, Miss Granger. Do come in, please," McGonagall replied.

"We'll finish our game tomorrow," Severus said quickly and stood up from his armchair. "It'll take just a couple of moves anyway."

"We'll see about _that_," McGonagall replied.

With some amusement, Severus watched Hermione Granger carrying a stack of books across the room to McGonagall's desk and then go back outside to fetch some more.

"Have a nice evening," he whispered to McGonagall, nodded at her and walked towards the door.

"Professor?" McGonagall called him back just as he was about to step outside. Severus turned back around and threw her a questioning look. "I think you still owe me five Galleons. You haven't forgotten that, have you?"

"No, of course I haven't. You shall have it by tomorrow," he replied and pulled the door closed behind him, feeling lucky that nobody ever wanted to discuss their homework with him.

#-#

On his way back down to his office he witnessed one of his second years arguing with a third year Gryffindor boy. He had no idea what they were fighting about, and he didn't care too much either; he took ten points from the Gryffindor for yelling in the corridor and sent them both off to their dormitories.

Now, McGonagall couldn't complain about his behaviour any longer. At least, no more than she always did.

He'd just made it back to his office when he met Lupin for the second time this evening. As soon as Lupin spotted him, he smiled at him and started walking towards him.

"Good, you're here," he said, as he came to a halt in front of him and held out a large dark green book. "I wanted to bring you back your book."

_What book? _He glanced down at the black letters on the cover. _Oh, that book. _"About time," Severus said and took it from him. He remembered very well that Lupin had said he'd bring it back the next day when he'd borrowed it the night that Potter had disappeared – _two weeks_ ago.

"I'm really sorry, I just forgot about it," Lupin said. "I wanted to bring it back to you on Saturday, but you weren't in your office, so..."

"Next time, just leave it at my door." Snape opened the door to his office but then hesitated when he noticed the large object Lupin was carrying in his left hand. "What's that?" he asked.

"Oh, that's the painting," Lupin replied and held it up a little for both of them to see. "Still sends a shiver down my spine," he added when looking at it.

Severus couldn't deny that he felt the same; just seeing the painting again, the misty landscape and the small old house, made him feel a little nervous.

"The Headmaster decided to have it destroyed after all," Lupin said.

"Why?" Severus asked thoughtfully, still looking at the painting. "It had nothing to do with it."

"Yeah, I know. But just in case that Thesdale might find a way out of there and back through this painting... He doesn't want to take the risk."

Severus said nothing. He just stared at the painted landscape, and the longer he looked at it, the more he felt as if he was drawn towards it, losing himself in the endless misty night.

He blinked a few times and looked at Lupin again. "It might be better," he said then. "To have it destroyed."

"There's something eerie about it, don't you think?" Lupin asked.

"No," Severus lied.

"Really? Well, I've been a little jumpy ever since we got back, blame it on that," Lupin said. He paused and his expression suddenly became a lot more serious. "Do you think it's possible that...," he said slowly. "That maybe we brought it back with us?"

"No, I don't think it's possible."

"Have you never felt it? That feeling that someone's following you through an empty corridor or that someone's standing right behind you in the darkness, watching you?" Lupin asked in a low voice. "I can't shake it off, ever since we got back."

Severus hesitated; he wasn't going to admit that he understood very well what he was talking about. "That demon said something to me after you'd left," he said slowly. "It told me that I'd have to look no further than at my own reflection to discover its true identity."

Lupin thought about it for a moment. "That would mean that we actually did bring it with us. Somehow."

"I think it means that everyone has their own personal demons. We didn't need to bring it with us because it's always been there anyway," Severus said.

"Then all that's changed is my attitude; the demon forced me to face my ghosts."

Severus shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe," he said. "But they're _your_ ghosts. Find your own answers. If you'll excuse me now – I still have work to do."

Without waiting for a reply, he went into his office and closed the door. He felt relieved to finally be alone again; he didn't want to see that painting ever again and neither did he want to discuss that night ever again.

For a moment, he closed his eyes. He heard Lupin's footsteps in the corridor, moving away. Then it was quiet.

Severus took out his wand and lit a fire in the fireplace. He looked over at his desk and spotted a stack of parchments waiting there for him; the tests his sixth years had written last week. He'd meant to grade them today, but the longer he looked at the papers now, the more reluctant he became to even read one of them. He could just as well do it tomorrow.

He'd been standing with his back to the door for a few minutes already but only now he noticed his black coat hanging next to the door to his left. Of course, he'd seen it hanging there for the last two weeks, but he'd completely forgotten about the piece of parchment he'd left in the coat's pocket.

He reached out his hand but then hesitated; would he still find it there, or had he only imagined it and it had never even been there?

_Only one way to find out._

Slowly, he reached into the coat's pocket and pulled out the folded piece of old yellowed parchment. He opened it, read it and then studied the signature once again. He still thought he'd done pretty well on it; how Minerva had come to suspect that it hadn't really been his father's signature had always remained a mystery to him. Maybe he should ask her.

Taking the piece of parchment with him, he walked over to the fireplace and sat down in the armchair in front of it. For a while, he looked into the flickering flames, then back at the permission form again.

He felt tempted to throw it into the fire, just because his father had made him throw away every permission form year after year. He'd been the one who'd insisted that he be banned from all Hogsmeade visits. Dumbledore wouldn't have done that. Actually, the Headmaster and McGonagall had even tried to talk his father out of it; without success, of course. His father would never have listened to Dumbledore; he'd never thought highly of the Headmaster. And even less would he have listened to McGonagall, mostly because he'd been convinced that a woman didn't belong in the position of Deputy Headmistress anyway. In his eyes, that had been just another proof of Dumbledore's foolishness and incompetence.

With a swift movement, Severus crumpled up the permission form and threw it into the fire. He sat in front of the fireplace and watched it burn to ashes, then he took out his wand again and put out the flames.

-the end-

* * *

Author's Note:

Last chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you all so much for your reviews and e-mails, I really appreciate each one. I'll miss you all Thank you :)

Thanks to shadowycat for all the beta-reading :) If you have nothing to do, why not go have a look at her stories.

Makrillit: I don't think Malfoy's just completely evil either. They had some sort of friendship once, and Snape was the one who ended it (at least in my world of never posted stories – can't write it all down here, send me an e-mail and I'll write you an essay ;)


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